The Hidden Zord
by Darien Fawkes
Summary: Slight Re-imagining of "Let Sleeping Zords Lie". Thanks to the E-Tracer, the Rangers are on the trail of the lost Ankylozord. However, as they follow the trail to a hidden, uncharted island, Wrench puts a scheme into effect that will lead them into a deadly battle for their lives.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Here it is at last, the promised follow on to "Careful What You Wish For." Hope you enjoy it.

 **Legal:** I do not own Power Rangers or the associated names, characters, places, events etc. Anything not covered by the above rights should be considered purely the creation of the author.

 **Rating:** T – may be some mild adult themes and language.

It was early in the morning in Amber beach, so early that the first slivers of sunlight barely created a warm, orange glow just at the horizon as the Rangers started to get ready for the day ahead. The E-Tracer, a device that Shelby and Kendall had created had managed to perform a search of the entire globe, allowing them to narrow down their seemingly impossible search for the remaining energems. Far sooner than any of them had anticipated, it looked like they had hit pay dirt. Kendall had told them they had found a signal that could possibly be the lost Ankylozord.

Most of them weren't used to such early starts. Riley didn't really mind, between growing up on a farm and his obsessive training, he had usually been up at the crack of dawn anyway, and while he had enjoyed the opportunity to get up a little later as a result of his new job, he was usually up before the others anyway. Tyler came into the room, smiling as he saw that Riley was already packed, and had even had time to put on the coffee maker.

"Wow, I thought I was going to be first up." Tyler said cheerfully. Riley just shrugged.

"Try having a cockerel as an alarm clock for most of your formative years." Riley answered as he started to pour coffee into flasks for the journey. They were scheduled to meet at the museum to be collected by Anton's helicopter for the journey shortly, and so they knew they wouldn't have time to drink it there. Tyler dumped his backpack next to Riley's.

"Nice gear." Tyler complimented him. As a result of his long search for his father, Tyler was no stranger to surviving in the wilderness. He had been taught by his father all about wilderness travel years before that. His kit, most of it his fathers, was far beyond the average weekend camper. Blankets, military grade sleeping bag, canteen, warm clothing, compass, rope...his equipment was closer to that of a soldier than a casual hill walker, potentially he could, and had in the past, survived for weeks without seeing civilisation. He saw that Riley's gear was much the same.

"My dad used to take me and my brother camping when I was a kid. He said that it was important we know how to take care of ourselves." He told Tyler. "After he...passed, Matt would take me whenever he could."

"It's good quality gear." Tyler reiterated. He noticed a name marked on the side of the bag. "Col. William Riley?"

"My grandfather." Riley informed him. "Not all of my family loved the idea about spending all their days on the farm. I guess I take after him in a lot of ways."

"It's good gear." Tyler reiterated. "It'll serve you well."

"God, is it really necessary to be up at this time?" Chase yawned as he came in, tossing aside a backpack. It was considerably more modest than Tyler or Riley's, just a store-bought affair made largely of nylon. As it hit the couch, it didn't sound like it was carrying much weight.

"Chase, aren't you getting ready?" Riley asked him.

"I am ready." Chase answered.

"Is that really how you're going?" Tyler asked. Chase was very definitely a city boy. Although he loved his time on Anton's island, he wasn't much of an outdoorsman. "Don't you want to pack some gear?"

"I've got provisions." Chase replied. Tyler picked up his backpack, opening it and looking inside. He just sighed.

"Cheetos and cola?" He asked. "That's what you're bringing?"

"We are only going out there for one day." Chase reminded them.

"We hope." Riley chuckled. "What if the weather turns? What if we need to make shelter?"

"You don't even have decent footwear." Tyler pointed out, gesturing to his trainers. Both he and Riley had opted for hiking boots.

"We'll take shelter in the helicopter and we'll have provisions there too if we run into bad weather." Chase stated. "It's not like we're planning an arctic expedition. We'll be back in the Dino Bite by this afternoon."

"OK, if you insist." Riley replied as he hefted his backpack onto his shoulders, handing Tyler a coffee flask. "Just remind me to say 'I told you so' when this is over."

"You guys are all taking this WAY too seriously." Chase chuckled as he heard a knock at the door. "Trust me, we'll go out there, we'll dig, we might just make some s'mores and then we'll be right back here watching television..."

As he opened the door, he found Kendall waiting for them. She too looked ready for a major expedition. Her backpack was almost the size of Riley's, and she was wearing heavy hiking boots, and what looked to be some very heavy sunscreen on her nose and cheeks. She looked to Chase.

"Aren't you ready yet?" She asked.

"Chase believes in packing light." Tyler responded, gathering his gear. She just sighed and shook her head.

"Where we're going is uncharted you know. We have no idea what we'll be facing." She reminded him. Chase just shrugged.

"It's just another dig, I've been on plenty." He answered. Kendall wanted to remind him that he had only been on digs within a couple of miles of the museum, certainly never anything that had the potential to last more than a day without him getting the opportunity to return home. She had been on a lot more digs than any of them, and knew the importance of preparing for any eventuality. She knew that between them, between herself, Tyler, Riley, most likely Shelby given her enthusiasm for her first official dig and the fact they had Koda coming with them...a man whose survival skills came from a time long before even the modern conveniences they were carrying, Chase was in no danger. They didn't have time to convince him, and besides, if he ran into a little discomfort and learned a lesson, that could only be a good thing.

"Whatever, Anton should be waiting on us by now." She answered. "Come on, guys, Anton will be waiting."

Meanwhile, at the museum, Shelby was waiting inside, enjoying some cocoa she had made for herself and Koda while they waited for the others. She was brimming with excitement, so much so she could hardly contain herself and had arrived before the sun came up. Although she had been on one dig already, an unsuccessful attempt to find an Energem before they created the E-Tracer, this was entirely different. This was the moment she had dreamed of from the very instant she had first heard of dinosaurs as a little girl. This would be her first official dig.

She couldn't stop smiling, checking on the E-Tracer, which they would be taking with them. Although it had narrowed down the search to a small area of ocean, making them suspect something was concealing an island, they still didn't know exactly WHERE it was, and were hoping that closer proximity would allow them to find it. Koda came into the room, carrying his version of a survival kit, namely a couple of spears, some flint, and a large knife, wrapped in furs. He sat with Shelby taking the cocoa and started to sip it. He recoiled a little.

"It's hot." Shelby warned him. Koda looked to it, and took another slow sip. His initial reservation, his initial discomfort, it appeared he liked the sweet taste.

"Good." He said, indicating his approval. Shelby smiled sweetly.

"I like it." She told him. "I always have some when I'm excited about something."

"Shelby wanted to go on dig for long time." Koda recalled. "Very important day for Shelby."

"I've been waiting on this day for most of my life." Shelby answered, looking off into the distance dreamily. "I always dreamed of going off to far off places, searching for fossils...making some great discovery that I could write about with some colleagues."

"Leave behind story." Koda answered. "Like Koda with pictures in cave."

Shelby just nodded. In a lot of ways it was like that. She knew that Koda didn't really make those pictures for anyone else, they were the only ones that saw them, but she understood that in his day, that was how his people would leave behind the stories of their achievements, their exploits for future generations. It was the same way that Shelby had read the work of others that had come before her, including luminaries like Anton, Kendall, and even...Neil Nevarro, Tyler's father, works that inspired her to follow in their footsteps.

"Yeah, exactly like that." She answered. Just then, the doors opened and Kendall, Tyler, Chase and Riley all walked in. Kendall smiled, seeing Shelby had already prepared the E-Tracer for transport.

"Someone's keen." Kendall said, sounding impressed.

"It's fully charged and ready to go." Shelby assured her. "I just wanted us to be ready when Anton arrives."

They heard a sound outside, one which clearly made Koda a little wary. Shelby just put a hand on his arm reassuringly.

"Don't worry Koda." Chase told him. "That's just our ride."

"Our ride?" He asked, not sure what to make of that. The team led him outside to the parking lot. They all looked up in time to see a white helicopter, bearing the logo of Mercer Industries coming down. Koda's eyes went wide in fear and amazement as the downdraft kicked up the dust and dirt from the parking lot. It took a while for the engines to slow down enough that the inhabitants could safely exit. Anton approached them, followed by a couple of others.

"You always know how to make an entrance." Chase complimented him.

"Well, thank you Chase." Anton responded, looking to Kendall. "My team and I can keep things ticking over at the museum until you get back. My pilot, Lewis is one of the best; he'll get you to where you need to go."

"I really appreciate the assist Anton." Kendall told him. "Well, I guess we should get going."

"Happy hunting." Anton answered as he led his team inside. Koda just pointed nervously to the helicopter.

"We...we go in that?" He asked. Kendall just sighed. She knew that Koda was a nervous flyer from the one and only time he had ever been on a plane. To ask him to fly again she knew was going to be a tall order, to get him to fly in a vehicle he had never seen before was going to be even tougher. That said, she knew it was a matter of practicality. They could have taken a ship, but that would take a lot longer, and it was time they could ill afford. Every moment they were out of Amber Beach would put the city at risk.

"Koda, it'll be fine." Kendall said in a comforting tone that she reserved for him whenever the modern realm intimidated him. "You trust me right? I told you the aeroplane would be alright, and that wasn't so bad was it?"

"Koda not feel well." He muttered, recalling the journey, and spending a considerable amount of it in the bathroom.

"Koda, believe me, it'll be fine." Kendall pleaded with him. "I promise you, everything will be fine, you'll hardly notice...Koda...Koda?"

She had to step aside as Koda slumped forward, being caught by Chase and Tyler. Kendall just looked to him, looking concerned.

"Koda, are you alright?" She asked. Shelby just coughed.

"Um...I foresaw this happening, and...took the liberty of helping Koda relax." Shelby admitted, showing her a bottle of sleeping tablets. "I put a couple in his cocoa."

"It's probably for the best." Tyler said tentatively, seeing that Kendall wasn't a huge fan of this plan. "I mean...what's better, a Koda that'll be freaking out the whole way or a Koda who's enjoying a couple of hours' nap?"

"Fine, just load him onto the chopper." She muttered, realising it was too late to do much about it now. It wasn't really the kind of thing she wanted to get into the habit of letting her team do, but it was over-the-counter strength sleeping pills, and Koda was pretty hardy. She was confident he was in no danger. As they all got in, strapping Koda in, before doing the same themselves, the pilot, Lewis turned around in his seat.

"Alright folks, where are we going?" He asked. Kendall turned on the E-Tracer to get a heading.

"We're going to have to do a bit of searching when we get there, for now just..." She looked for the heading. "Head North East North."

"You're the boss." He answered, turning up the engines and taking off, heading on their way.

Elsewhere, on an island some way off the coast, Wrench and Sting Rage oversaw a whole team of Viviks as they surrounded a large hole in the ground. Another team was inside, digging as they searched for their objective. Poisandra was sitting on a deck chair a little way off as Curio fanned her with a large paddle to keep her cool in the tropical heat.

"How long is this going to take?" She whined.

"These things can't be rushed." He assured her. Just then, his scanner bleeped. He smiled as he checked it.

"It's working, they just activated their tracker." He declared happily. He punched a few keys on the key pad.

"So they activated their scanner, so what?" She asked. "What are we going to do? Lead them in circles?"

"Not quite." Wrench assured her with a knowing smile. "I'm planning on leading them right here."


	2. Wrench's Surprise

Chase was sitting; being crushed up against the side of the helicopter as Koda snored loudly, leaning in over him. They had spiked him with some sleeping tablets to keep him calm during his flight, given how much he was freaking out. They figured it was better that he was unconscious than panicking and flailing in such a confined space. Of course, right now...Chase was beginning to question that.

Riley and Tyler were having fun though, taking pictures of the scene with their cell phones. Kendall and Shelby chose simply to ignore the guys at this point. Chase didn't seem at all amused.

"Would you guys quit it?" He said a little grumpily.

"Oh come on, this is way too good." Riley chuckled. "This is so my new screensaver."

"Would you guys stop taking pictures of Koda spooning me?" He complained. "Kendall, can you...?"

"Hey, I'm staying out of this." She said, holding up her hands. "It wasn't my idea to drug him. You knock him out; you can live with the consequences."

"Can we at least change places for a little while?" Chase asked the others. None of them volunteered, leaving Chase to try as much as possible to make himself comfortable under Koda's weight.

"The signal's getting stronger." Shelby announced. They'd gone as far out as they could, and now they were left with only the task of actually finding the island. It didn't appear on any maps, and for some reason it defied even most satellite searches. The only way to search was to manually look for it once they got there. The pilot had enough fuel to fly around for an hour or so before he would have no choice but to turn back or risk being unable to return to the mainland. Shelby leaned through to the pilot's cockpit. "Head over that way, the signal's coming in really strong now."

"OK, but if we don't find it soon, we'll have to consider turning back." He reminded them. As they changed direction, seemingly heading for a patch of open ocean, the helicopter suddenly lurched, throwing them around in the back. The pilot gripped the controls tightly, struggling to keep them steady.

"OK, what the hell was that?" Tyler asked. "Is it turbulence?"

"It doesn't feel like any turbulence I've ever experienced." The pilot replied, fighting with the controls.

"Holy crap!" Riley exclaimed as bright flashes of light started to flash up all around them. "OK, THAT is NOT turbulence!"

"Everyone hold on!" Tyler rushed out as they all grabbed on for dear life. The helicopter was thrown around for a few minutes, before eventually breaking out into clear air. As they did, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

"Now that was scary!" Riley commented.

"Not as scary as this!" Chase answered from the floor, where he and Koda had fallen in the confusion. The caveman had landed right on top of him, pinning him to the ground, still snoring loudly. "Will someone please get him off me now?"

"Is everyone alright?" Kendall asked.

"Uh...I think you might all want to see this." The pilot said as he finally stabilised his flight path. They all moved to the front of the helicopter, at which they saw an island sitting just a short way in front of them. It was a huge, rocky island, covered in jungle, with a long beach that ran all the way around the perimeter. The centre was dominated by a massive cliff, which rose up almost to the clouds. The exterior of the mountain almost appeared to be carved into animal totems of some description.

"Uh...OK, how the hell did anyone miss that?" Tyler asked them.

"That turbulence...it must be some kind of interference field that cloaks the island." Kendall surmised. "It's why it never shows up on any of our scans."

"So...we flew into the Bermuda Triangle?" Chase asked as he finally managed to get Koda up into his seat.

"Yeah...if we flew off course by a few thousand miles." Shelby said sarcastically. "The only question is, who hid this island and why?"

"Two questions we can answer later." The pilot stated. "In the meantime, I'm looking around for somewhere to land. We should be touching down in a few minutes."

Back on the island, Wrench was overseeing the dig site, as Viviks searched for the hidden resting place of the Ankylozord. As they searched, they heard a sound coming from a little way off. Poisandra came to his side, looking up into the sky, seeing a helicopter coming in from the distance. Wrench just smiled as he saw the vehicle in the distance.

"It's...its' really them!" Poisandra rushed out. "It worked, you brought them out here!"

"They're so predictable." He answered as he gestured to Sting Rage. "You, stay here and oversee the Viviks. With any luck we'll find that zord soon. Poisandra, if you want to see my little surprise for the Rangers, come with me. I promise you won't be disappointed."

As he went with her, in search of the landing site, he pulled out a communicator.

At that moment, in a hotel room all the way in Bora Bora, Cat was sitting on a deck chair, her sketch pad in her hands as she looked to Gia, who was lying on a lounger a little way off. Eric and Louise had sprung for a short break there as a honeymoon of sorts so that they would have a special holiday before they returned to college at the beginning of the new term.

"Hold still Gia." Cat said for seemingly the millionth time as she worked on a few details of her sketch. Gia just sighed.

"Cat, if I lie still much longer I'm going to cook alive." Gia complained. "You're surely finished by now."

"Be patient." Cat told her wife, smiling a little. "I'm working hard on this. I want it to be extra special."

"You're drawing it." Gia answered.

"You're my wife, you have to say that." Cat told her. Cat was nothing, if not a perfectionist in her art, especially when she worked on something she really cared about. This portrait of Gia was just such a project.

"Actually, the only thing I must do is this." Gia replied, getting up and heading over to Cat, taking her in her arms and kissing her deeply. Cat put down her sketch pad, returning the gesture. They were only interrupted as one of the hotel staff arrived at their cabin.

"I'm...um...sorry to interrupt, but you have a phone call Mrs Goodall." He told Gia.

"Tell them I'll call them back." She replied. "We're a little busy..."

"The caller was most insistent...it's Former President Taylor." He told her. Gia just looked a little confused by this. Just one of the many things they had learned in their war against The Armada was that the last President was none other than Zack Taylor, the original Black Ranger. He had revealed his identity to the public in a State of the Union address before taking his place in the ranks of the Rangers for the final battle. He had been overwhelmingly accepted to return to his post by public opinion, but when talk began about him being voted in for a third term, he opted to stand down. He was still involved in politics, but he had decided that it was time to let someone else take the reins.

"Did he say what it was regarding?" Gia asked. It wasn't like he was the only Ranger who had contacted her, hell half the numbers on her speed dial now were former Rangers. That said, there was always something of a mixed feeling whenever Rangers called each other. It was kind of understood that being in the Spandex left kind of a permanent responsibility to help others whenever possible, and Rangers had a nasty habit of getting into some pretty bizarre situations, even years after their tenure had ended.

"He wouldn't say, je just insisted on speaking to you as a matter of urgency." He told her. Gia just got up and looked to Cat.

"Well, I guess I better not keep the man waiting." She answered as she followed the hotel worker back to the reception area. As she got there, he took the phone to the other side of the desk, handing her the receiver.

"Thank you." She answered. "Hey Zack, how are things?"

She recoiled a little as instead of a familiar voice, all she heard was a strange, buzzing, screeching sound. It was painful at first, but after a moment, she felt something coming over her, something...that seemed to rush into her mind. She put the phone down, and started to walk out of the reception area, following some unseen instructions she couldn't resist.

She made her way from the reception area, turning to a path into some woods. As she went, Cat was coming to the reception area, intending to speak to Zack herself. She figured that he had heard through the grapevine about the wedding and wanted to congratulate them. As she got there, she saw Gia leaving the hotel grounds.

"Gia?" She asked, but the Yellow Ranger didn't seem to notice her. She ran along the pathway, following Gia into the woods. "Gia, where are you going?"

A little way off, she saw Gia come to a strange device, one that looked kind of like a metal coffin. It concerned her to watch as Gia climbed inside and it closed over.

"Gia, what are you doing? Get out of there!" She yelled, but before she could get to her, some jets burst into life, throwing her to the ground as the drop shift blasted off, taking the woman she loved with it. Tears started to run down her face as she realised that there was nothing she could do to stop the ship taking Gia away from her. "GIA!"

Back on the island, the Rangers had finally landed the helicopter. The pilot, Lewis, stayed with the helicopter while they went into the woods on their search.

"Wow, would you just look at this place?" Shelby said with a bright smile as they began their search. "These formations...this place looks like it hasn't been touched in millions of years. A team could spend years in this place and never stop finding treasures!"

"I bet the surf around the shore is amazing!" Chase stated.

"Really, that's all you're excited about?" Shelby asked him. "Look, it's not just the fossils...most of these plants...a number of these species were believed to be extinct!"

"Believe me, I'm excited too." Kendall assured her. "But remember why we're here. Once we find the Ankylozord, we can always look around for a while."

"Guys...be quiet a minute." Chase stated. They heard a rustling in the bushes a little way off. "I don't think we're alone here."

"Morphers at the ready." Tyler told them, preparing his for action. They all formed up behind him as he started to stalk into the undergrowth in search of their uninvited guest. "Whoa!"

"Who is it? Sledge? Fury?" Riley rushed out, coming to his side. They others quickly formed up around him.

"Uh...you guys are not going to believe this." Tyler said, gesturing to a clearing. They all watched as a massive, furred creature was just casually ambling around, rummaging through the bushes for something to eat.

"You're kidding me." Riley commented. "Is that...bigfoot?"

"They do exist?" Chase asked. Riley just looked to him.

"So...you're bonded to the spirit of a dinosaur and THAT'S the jumping off point for your disbelief?" He teased him. Kendall got a thought as she heard this.

"Wait...guys...I have a feeling about this." She answered. She rushed through the woods a little way, while the others just looked to each other in bemusement, before following her.

They went a little further into the woods, until they found something...it was clearly man-made. A large, black, shiny obelisk had been erected, etched with gold writing. Kendall sighed as she saw it, taking off her glasses.

"Damn it, I should have known." She muttered. "I can't believe I didn't figure it out."

"OK, what's going on?" Chase asked her.

"I know exactly where we are. Anton's been here before. He told me all about it." Kendall told them. "A hidden island where Bigfoot runs free...I just...should have known."

"So...where are we exactly?" Shelby asked. Kendall gestured to the obelisk. Tyler inspected it, reading the inscription.

"Here lies Jordan Edwards, the last Son of Eltar. Hero, Legend, Friend." He read aloud. "May the power protect him always."

"Jordan Edwards...the Robo Knight." Kendall explained. "This is Gosei's island, the headquarters of the last Ranger team is somewhere on the island."

"So the Corsairs had the Ankylozord?" Riley asked.

"I think that's just a coincidence." Kendall told them. "The Ankylozord was killed in the asteroid shower, but that was before the continental breakup. I think he just happened to be on this land mass when it broke off."

"That's a really good guess." Wrench said as he and Poisandra showed up. "I couldn't believe my incredible luck when I figured out where the Ankylozord came to rest."

"You consider this lucky?" Chase asked. "We get to give you a pasting, and still find a Zord? I consider that a pretty good day."

"Something tells me that you'll have far too much to worry about to concern yourself with what we're doing." Wrench answered. Just then, they all looked up in time to see five drop ships coming down, slamming into the ground a little way off. As the pods opened up, instead of Viviks or monsters, they saw five all too familiar faces.

"Troy?" Tyler asked. "Jake, Noah?"

"Emma, Gia?" Shelby asked. "What are you...?"

"You have no right to be here." Troy stated coldly. "This is a place for REAL Rangers!"

"Uh...what's going on?" Chase asked.

"This is the final resting place of our friend. You WILL not desecrate that!" Emma snapped in response.

"We'll just leave you all to figure this out among yourselves." Wrench told them. "Have fun!"


	3. The Corsairs Attack

Anton and his team were setting up for the day ahead. Anton never really cared much if his museums made a profit. It was just one of the many ways he gave back to the world that, despite some very trying and horrifying times, had really been pretty good to him. He was one of the richest men on the planet, regularly breaking into the top 100 of the fortune 500 list. He constantly ranked among the most intelligent and accomplished men in the scientific community, and his contributions to the advancement of technology and agriculture had earned him numerous awards and magazine articles.

Things were also going well for him on a personal level. His adoptive son, Trent was making a real name for himself in his artwork. He lived in Tokyo, where he had a job he loved with a huge comic book firm. Although he regularly did collaborations with other artists in the US, having some of his work in prominent DC and Marvel works, his first and real love had always been Anime. He was a leading artist not only in Japanese comics; he had also been allowed to spread his wings, branching into animation as well. Now, his work had appeared on television and even some movie theatres. The other big news, something that delighted Anton to hear, was that he had begun a relationship with another artist. One of Anton's few trips off his island in the last decade was to meet the new woman in Trent's life. She was a delightful young woman named Akemi.

Although Anton had not found anyone to spend his life with, something if he admitted he never really concerned himself with, he was delighted for his son. It was so clear when he met Akemi that, despite any reservations he had, he was supportive when Trent revealed that they were expecting their first child. They'd only been together a few months, but to Anton, it was clear that this was what they wanted more dearly than anything in the world and had given them his full blessing. He had even offered to minister their wedding when Trent revealed his intent to propose to Akemi. He had already planned a trip over for a few weeks after the baby was due at the end of the year.

All in, despite everything that had gone so wrong with his life, his strained relationship with Trent and Mesagog most of all, he had to admit that his life was going really well. Despite all the things he still felt he owed the world for his failures, he was happy.

Kendall was one of his most valued protégées, and he took his responsibility to her as a mentor seriously. Even though she was growing to a point she didn't really need him anymore, and spent most of her time in projects that took her away from him. While he was instrumental in giving her the opportunities that brought her such success in her career, he had known for a long time that it was time for her to spread her wings and gain her own accomplishments. He had seen the turnaround she had brought in the museum. Sure, they were a little short-staffed, something he couldn't really blame HER for, remembering how tough a lot of businesses in Reefside found it to retain staff during the Mesagog campaign of terror, the place was doing brilliantly.

A number of new exhibits had been added, the interior had been re-vamped, and the takings had increased by a significant margin. The place was now more than turning a profit, which was being invested straight back into improving it. The Dino Bite Cafe was becoming a hot hang-out for locals on its own, even without the rest of the museum. He had seen several glowing reviews about the tours, and was impressed by the numerous programs Kendall had initiated to have the local schools invited to complimentary tours. He was still a little surprised to hear about them hosting a wedding there, but having met Gia and Cat, it kind of made sense now. Kendall might only be away with her team for a day, but he was determined to take the responsibility of maintaining her hard work.

"Alright guys, you all know your jobs, but I'd like to ask you to give this your all." He told them. "This is Kendall's house; I'd like to give it back to her in good order."

"Jeez, it's just a museum." One of his team muttered as Anton headed for the office.

"Yeah, but remember Kendall's his little pet project." Another reminded him.

"Sure, but she's just gone on a one day dig." The first stated. "The way he was acting, you'd think she went to war or something."

Meanwhile, back on the island, Kendall and her team stood, confronting the Corsair Rangers in a tense face-off. Tyler had gotten back to his feet, still unable to believe that Troy had attacked him.

"Guys, what are you doing?" Tyler asked them.

"You came to defile this place, to desecrate the peace of Gosei's island." Jake answered. "His technology is gone, but this island stands as a monument to him, and to Jordan."

"The world owes everything to them. We didn't ask for a parade in their honour, we just wanted one place where they could rest in peace." Troy added. "And you can't even respect that."

"Listen, its obvious Wrench has done something to you. He's making you do this." Chase stated. "I mean...you've seen the guy right? It's not like he looks the most trustworthy creature in existence. A year ago you'd be fighting him!"

"Don't try and stall." Gia snapped. "Leave the island at once or we'll make sure you never leave."

"Listen, we all just need to calm down and think about this." Kendall said, holding up her hands. "We don't mean any disrespect. We've not come to desecrate anything..."

"Really?" Emma asked sarcastically. "Then why did you bring the digging tools?"

Kendall looked around, seeing that all of them were carrying obvious digging tools. She gulped as she realised the position they were in. Brainwashed or not, the Corsairs had been brought to the island, only to find people standing next to Jordan's grave carrying digging tools.

"Kendall, get out of here." Tyler told her.

"Tyler..."

"I don't think they're in the mood to talk about this." Tyler replied. "We're equipped to deal with this, you aren't."

Kendall hated to admit it, but he had a point. Reluctantly, she took off, running into the undergrowth. Troy just smiled.

"She's the smartest one among you." He stated.

"We don't want to do this, but if it's the only way to make you see sense, I guess we'll have to beat it into you." Tyler declared, trying to sound as confident as possible. He knew what he was asking his team to do. They had to face off against another Ranger team...and not just any Ranger team. It wasn't that long ago the Corsairs were active. It hadn't even been a year since they had defeated the last remnants of The Armada. Even with the enhanced abilities the Energems gave them, he couldn't account for the Corsair's experience.

"Please." Gia sneered as she launched into a flying kick, knocking Chase back several feet.

Shelby had no time to react as Emma attacked her, taking her off in another direction. Jake just looked to Koda and pulled a guard.

"I'll take the pet." He said as he ran for him. Koda blocked the first of his furious attacks, tumbling a little way off. Riley just looked to Noah.

"I saw your work in the Amber Beach tournament." Noah told him, summoning up his Corsair Sabre. "Not bad...for a beginner."

"I guess we both get to find out how good I am!" He answered, summoning up his Dino Sabre. As they left to pursue their own battle, Troy just looked to Tyler.

"I guess you picked up a few tricks since the last time we met." He commented.

"You don't know the half of it." Tyler answered. "We can help you, or we can hurt you and THEN help you. It's up to you."

Troy ran straight for him, sending Tyler stumbling with a hard kick to the chest. Tyler just looked up to him.

"I guess we have to do this the hard way then." He answered, before attacking in response.

A little way off, Kendall could only watch in horror as she realised her team was under attack. She wanted to help, but she couldn't see how. Her team had the power of the Energems, and even they were facing an uphill battle. As she tried to think of what to do, she saw Wrench and Poisandra a little way off, making their way through the undergrowth. It was then that something occurred to her. This whole plan, it seemed to be so complicated, even for a technician like Wrench. He had gone to all the effort of finding Gosei's island, and island so well hidden that no technology on Earth had ever found it, hacking their E-tracer's signal to keep track of their progress, somehow gaining control of the Corsair Rangers, and bringing them to the island as well, all to set up this ambush.

It all seemed like a lot of effort, something that would have taken a lot of time and resources to set up, so why after setting up the Rangers against their deadliest threat would they run off and not stick around to see their plan come to fruition? It wasn't like them not to keep an eye on the battles, if nothing else just to have an opportunity to gloat. It wasn't as if they were taking a drop pod back to the ship to watch from a safe distance. That was when she realised...there was a reason they were on the island. They were looking for something as well. If they could take control of Rangers, was it possible they could take control of a Zord? Was it possible that the Ankylozord was there after all?

She cast one look back at the Rangers, before heading off after Wrench and Poisandra at a safe distance. If they were after the Ankylozord, then she had to find a way to distract them. Facing off against the Corsairs was already more than enough trouble.

Back at the museum, a jeep pulled up outside. The museum was open, and looked to be doing great business. The man got out, striding over to the door, making his way inside.

He was a tall man and pretty well built with it. He was wearing boots, denims, a hard-wearing grey shirt, and a large cowboy hat. Looking around as he entered, he just smiled.

"Now, isn't this something?" He asked, looking impressed.

"Excuse me; can I help you at all?" A tour guide asked. The man tipped his hat to her.

"I do believe you can." He responded in a casual tone. "I'm looking for Riley Griffin."

"Riley Griffin?" She asked.

"He works here." He told her. "I'm his brother Matt. I had some business in town and I thought I'd drop by and visit."

"I'm sorry, I don't know him." She said honestly.

"Oh, well...can you get me the manager, Ms Morgan?" He asked. She suddenly got a look of realisation on her face.

"Right...um...why don't you go and have a seat in the Dino Bite Cafe?" She asked. "I'll just go and get someone. Feel free to have a soda or something while you wait."

"Thank you, that would be good." Matt answered. He made his way into the cafe, finding it completely mobbed. Almost as soon as he sat down, placing his hat on the table, there was a waitress at the table.

"Hi, welcome to the Dino Bite Cafe. I'm Wendy; I'll be serving you today." She greeted him. "Here's a menu, if you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer. Would you like a drink to begin?"

"I'd just like a soda if you don't mind." He replied. "I'm waiting for someone."

"Oh...hot date?" She asked.

"No, not exactly." He answered. "Do you have fresh lemonade?"

"I'll just go and get some." She answered. Matt leaned back in his seat, settling in and taking a look around. It wasn't like anything he had seen. There was a cafe in his home town, but it was a pretty plain place by comparison. Like most of the businesses in town, it was a family owned place that had been there for a few generations, without really changing much. It was big news when they added croissants to the menu when he was a kid.

This place though seemed to take the dinosaur thing a little seriously. All the waiters and waitresses wore badges with dinosaurs on them, the place was decorated with tropical plants and fake fossils, and even the menu...he couldn't help taking a look at it. He just chuckled.

"The Bronto Burger?" He laughed. "What's next, pizza with bananas on it?"

"Actually there is a place that serves pepperoni and banana pizza in Ocean Bluff." Anton said as he sat down. Wendy arrived with Matt's lemonade, at which Anton caught her attention. "Can I have a cappuccino?" He looked back to Matt. "That pizza's a lot better than it sounds. It's really quite good." *

"Anton?" He asked, a little surprised to see him.

"This is a pleasant surprise. I was hoping to swing by to see how my projects on the farm have been going." He commented. "I've been hearing a lot of good things, but I'd like to see for myself some time."

"Anton, no offence, but...what are you doing here?" Matt asked him.

"My team and I are minding the museum for a little while." He told Matt as he accepted his own lemonade. "Kendall and the others are currently away on an expedition."

"Really?" Matt asked, sounding disappointed. He had been hoping to see Riley, now that he'd been at the museum for a little while. He missed him dreadfully, and wanted to see how he was enjoying the scholarship program he had enrolled in under Kendall.

"Oh, not to worry, it's only a short expedition; I fully expect them to be back by the end of the day." Anton assured him. "Until then, you're perfectly welcome to wait here. Consider yourself my guest. Anything you'd like, a meal, a guided tour, just asks and I'll pick up the check."

"Well, I guess since I'm going to be here a while, I would like to take a look around." Matt told him. "I'd like to see where my little brother works."

"Well, I'm more than happy to give you the tour personally." Anton answered with a smile, before reaching for the menu. "But first, how about we have something to eat? I remember it being quite a drive from the farm."

"I guess I could eat." Matt answered, looking to the menu. "So is the Bronto Burger as big as the menu makes out?"

"I guess there's one way to find out." Anton replied, gesturing Wendy back over.

Back on the island, Tyler was struggling to deal with Troy's relentless attack. Although Tyler was a strong fighter in his own right, and had his strength augmented by the power of the Energems, he was still finding it difficult to keep up with the Red Corsair. Troy had been a Martial Artist most of his life, even before his Ranger days. He had fought countless real fights, far more than Tyler could have hoped to. His technique, tenacity, courage and strategy were more than enough to keep pace with Tyler.

Tyler took a hard kick, which was only made worse by the fact Troy had used his titanium prosthetic for the attack. He struggled to breathe after it hit his ribs, but he managed to catch hold of Troy long enough to manhandle him into a nearby rock face. He drove him into it, putting all his bodyweight into the attack to drive the breath from him. Troy managed to shift his weight, throwing Tyler away, before kipping up back to his feet. He looked to Tyler with a pained and enraged expression on his face.

"You've learned a lot." He commented, reaching to his belt.

"You have no idea." Tyler told him. "Now, give it up and we can talk about this."

"Let's see just how much you've learned." Troy answered, flipping out his morpher and his Ranger Key. "Enough games."

As he morphed, Tyler summoned up his morpher regretfully.

"I really don't want to do this, but you're not giving me a choice in the matter." He stated, placing his Dino Charger into the barrel and spinning the chamber. "UNLEAH THE POWER!"

 **A/N:** What Anton says about the Thrilla Gorilla, the comment marked with a *...I can personally vouch for the fact this is actually true! I made one a while back and I have to admit, it is amazing! So, if anyone else wants to try it, I can recommend it.


	4. Wrench's Plan Revealed

"Now that...that's quite something to see!" Matt exclaimed, staring at a skeleton as Anton gave him a guided tour. It was one of the more recent additions to the collection, so recent in fact it was still in storage and hadn't been set up on display yet It was currently sitting on a workbench while they figured out how much of the skeleton they had and how many of the bones they would have to make facsimiles of to fill in the gaps. Sadly, depending on factors such as climate, how the dinosaur died, and the care of the people that found and stored it, it wasn't terribly common to get a whole skeleton. Anton had spared no expense on the equipment they had at their disposal to create the filler pieces they needed. "And...you say this thing WASN'T a lizard? I thought all dinosaurs were lizards."

Anton just smiled. He didn't doubt Matt's intelligence, but he doubted he had much call to study dinosaurs since he left High School. He could talk all day about soil quality or how best to raise livestock, but his knowledge of dinosaurs was limited to what he had learned at a time when many still simply presumed that all dinosaurs were lizards.

"Perhaps, I'm not certain how one would classify it, but like many; it seems to be...kind of a crux point in evolution, almost a step between stages if you will." Anton told him. "See here, the pubic bones are reversed. The bones are hollow; this elongated snout has a lot of similarities to a beak if you look closely." Anton told him, moving to the feet. "These claws on the lower extremities bear a lot of similarities to those of a bird of prey. Many experts hold the current convention that it had feathers."

"Feathers? So this thing is...a really big bird?" Matt asked him. Anton nodded.

"If it had lasted perhaps a million or so years longer, it might even have evolved wings." Anton told him. "The velociraptor is indeed a fascinating creature, one that has helped redefine the way we look at that entire species."

"Just imagine the size of drumsticks you could get off this thing." Matt joked with a little smirk. "Though I imagine it would be quite hard to farm them."

"Considering the fact they could jump well over twenty feet, run at speeds close to sixty miles an hour over open ground and were carnivorous ambush predators, yes I imagine they would be pretty difficult to farm." Anton conceded. "Though I imagine when you saw the size of family bucket you could make from one, I'm perfectly certain someone would try if they were still around."

"This place is amazing. Riley has to be learning so much here." Matt responded, taking off his hat. He missed Riley like mad, but looking at this place, he couldn't help feeling like he'd made the right choice convincing their mom to let him go and accept this scholarship. The opportunities here were way beyond anything he could have hoped for back in Burnside. "I just wish I hadn't missed him before he went."

"My team is one of the best. I am certain he's fine." Anton assured him. "Now, how about I show you one of my favourite exhibits?"

Meanwhile, on the island, Riley was having a far more exciting time than anyone had banked on. Not only had they found themselves on an island that was hidden from any form of detection, the island the great Gosei had used as his base of operations, but somehow Wrench and Poisandra had ended up there too. What was worse, they had somehow taken control of their predecessors, the Corsair Rangers.

Given his love of fencing, Riley had in particular become something of a fan of Noah's. He had originally been a long-range specialist, but over the course of a single year had studied and trained hard to teach himself the ways of the sword since switching from his Megaforce to Corsair powers. He had defeated some of the strongest enemies the universe had to offer with a sword. While he hadn't trained formally, his renown since his identity became public knowledge was such that he was in high demand to attend tournaments, and while he had never competed, believing his skills should only be used for genuine battle, he had appeared as a guest at more than one tournament to make an appearance and present awards and suchlike.

Riley wished he could be more excited about the fact he was now getting a chance to face the legendary Noah Carver, unfortunately this wasn't just a sparring match. As he ducked one of Noah's swings, he could feel some of his hair being sliced away. It was far too close for comfort.

Riley fought back, trying to find a way through Noah's guard, but the Blue Ranger was every bit as good as his reputation. As they grappled, it took Riley doing something he wasn't proud of to get the room to land a blow. He swept Noah's glasses from his face, distracting him long enough to land a solid kick to his chest, scattering him on the ground. Noah snapped back to his feet quickly.

"Is that the way it's going to be?" Noah asked him, reaching for his morpher. "Just remember, you're the one that stepped up the game."

He turned the key in his morpher, turning into his Corsair Mode, and made his way for Riley. The Green Ranger was barely able to morph in time, absorbing the first blow with a shower of sparks. He flew off a rock face, landing on a beach. He was only just getting up before he had to throw himself out the way to avoid the Black Ranger as he sailed towards him. He was already morphed, indicating his battle was going about as well as Noah's. Riley helped him up, seeing him gripping his Dino Blaster tightly.

"Chase, are you alright?" Riley asked him.

"As soon as I figure out which one of the three of you is talking I will be." Chase muttered. "Those Corsair Blasters pack quite a wallop."

"Splitting up doesn't seem to be working." Riley commented as Gia and Noah leapt into view. He got onto his communicator. "Guys, how are things?"

"Green Ranger tough." Koda responded.

"These guys are way tougher than anything we've faced." Shelby agreed. "They've done this for nearly two years! We're kids compared to them!"

"We can't start thinking like that." Tyler told them. "But you are right, they are better at this than us."

"We can't take them ourselves." Riley stated. "Guys, fall back to the beach! One on one they're kicking our butts! Maybe as a team..."

"Do it!" Tyler agreed. "It might be our only shot!"

With that, they all broke off from their individual battles, running for all they were worth, with the Corsairs in hot pursuit.

Meanwhile, elsewhere on the island, Kendall made her way through the undergrowth, following Poisandra and Wrench closely. She didn't know what they were up to, but the one thing that was clear was that if they didn't stick around to watch the Corsairs battle the Dino Rangers, then obviously this was only a small part of their plan. Whatever they were up to, if it was more important than taking the opportunity to gloat over the Rangers' being pounded by their predecessors, it couldn't bode well for them.

She concealed herself as much as she could as Poisandra and Wrench arrived at their destination. Stingrage was overseeing a bunch of Viviks, standing around a massive hole in the ground. Kendall recognised an excavation when she saw it.

"The Rangers are occupied." Wrench announced. "Are we close?"

Just then, the air was split by a loud roar, and the very ground shook.

"I'd say we're close." Stingrage said with a smile. "My stings worked a treat on the Corsairs, and soon, we'll have our own Zord under our control."

Kendall could hardly believe what she was hearing. Well, some of it made sense. The Corsairs were friends. It was only a week ago they had overseen Gia's wedding! More than that, they had taken care not to reveal their real identity to them. It was clear that Wrench had to have done something to them to bring them under his control, to turn them against her team. It sounded like this latest monster was to blame. He'd said something about stings...that suggested it was a kind of venom that had caused this.

It looked like they were right, that they were close to finding the Ankylozord. By the sounds of things, that was the plan all along, to bring the Ankylozord under their control. Kendall already knew how powerful and dangerous the zords could be, the last thing they needed was to find themselves facing one. She couldn't allow that to happen. Unfortunately, she was at a loss as to exactly how. Just then, she felt someone grabbing her from behind, clamping a hand over her mouth and holding her fast.

"Don't make a sound." A familiar voice warned her. "Whatever you do, don't make a sound."

He slowly released her, at which Kendall looked around, seeing Orion standing behind her.

"Orion?" She asked. He just nodded.

"Don't worry; I'm on your side." Orion said to her. He showed her a sting. "I managed to dig this out; this is what that thing is using on my friends. We all got stung at the wedding. Then, earlier today, Emma and I got a phone call. It was just some kind of high pitched sound. The next thing I know, Emma got into a drop ship and blasted off."

"Wait, if you were both stung, how come you aren't affected?" Kendall asked him. He just sighed.

"A lot of my religious ceremonies involve hallucinogens, toxic substances." He explained. "I have a strong resistance to a lot of toxins as a result. If I was to hazard a guess, I'd say I'm resistant to a lot of the effective ingredients in his venom."

"So...uh...just how resistant are you?" She asked.

"Let's put it this way...it's probably just as well I got that sting out before it injected all of the venom." He told her. "Now, we need to stop them from activating that Zord."

"I think we might be a bit late for that." Kendall responded as she heard another roar. "So, the next best thing is to take care of that thing before he can take control of our Zord."

"I'll take care of that." Orion said, pulling out his morpher. Kendall reached into her kit, pulling out a shovel. He just frowned at her. "OK, what exactly do you think you're doing?"

"You think you're the only one that can throw a punch?" She asked. "I know I'm no match for Sting Rage. You keep him off me; maybe I can keep the viviks off you."

"Kendall, you aren't a Ranger, I can't..." Before he could stop her though, Kendall had already broken cover and run into battle, swinging for the fences with her spade, sending viviks flying. He just smiled as he morphed, summoning his Silver Spear. "And people used to say I lacked subtlety."

Back at the museum, Anton was concluding his tour with Matt, taking him to the office. Matt took a seat opposite him.

"Thanks for the tour Anton. This place is really amazing." Matt said gratefully.

"I'm just sorry that Riley wasn't here." Anton said as he prepared a radio. "But they've been out there quite a while. Hopefully by now we should be able to get hold of him on the radio."

He started to dial in the frequency, attempting to reach his helicopter pilot.

"This is museum to Vector 1, are you receiving over?" Anton asked. He got nothing but static in response. He tried making some adjustments to the equipment, hoping to gain some kind of signal. "Museum to Vector 1, are you receiving over?"

There was still no response. He turned his attention to his computer, pulling up details of the flight path.

"Is everything alright?" Matt asked.

"I'm sure there's just a technical fault." Anton said, replaying the path of his helicopter. "Lewis is one of the best there is. He flew three tours of Iraq without a scratch. I'm sure he..."

Unfortunately, the path of the helicopter displayed on the screen suddenly disappeared.

"What...what happened?" Matt asked him.

Anton tried all he could to re-establish a signal, but he couldn't. He just looked to Matt, completely horrified.

"We've...we've lost contact with the helicopter." Anton stated. "We lost contact with them four hours ago."


	5. A Zord Awakens

Back on the Island, the Dino Rangers struggled, keeping their respective opponents at bay as they tried to unify their position. They were used to facing tough opponents. It wasn't as though they hadn't already come up against uphill struggles before, but this time, Wrench had managed to throw a nuke in their direction.

The Corsair Rangers were some of the most powerful opponents anyone could face. It had barely been a year since they, along with all the Legendary Rangers, had not only expelled The Armada from the planet, but had eradicated them altogether! The seemingly unstoppable army that had actually succeeded in bringing the world under its control, and then almost wiped it from the face of existence were now a mere footnote in history as a result of the Corsairs!

What made matters worse was that the Dinos had met the Corsairs. They considered them friends! They already were so powerful, so dangerous that they knew they couldn't risk holding back. One mistake would be all it would take for the Corsairs to obliterate them. However, the one thought that echoed in them was that the Corsairs weren't responsible for their actions. Wrench had done something to them to make them this way. It was a difficult enough situation to deal with, knowing that they had no choice but to fight them, but that didn't mean they wanted to entertain the possibility it might come down to a choice between them and the Corsairs.

"You alright?" Shelby asked Tyler as she arrived in the clearing by the obelisk, having watched him tumbling down a cliff into the clearing, bouncing on every ledge on the way down. He struggled to get up.

"I'll be fine if I forego a few luxuries...like breathing." Tyler told her breathlessly, clutching at his ribs. Shelby grabbed him, hauling him to his feet and steadying him. Tyler could feel her arms around him, strong, supportive, yet somehow gentle at the same time. He looked to her, staring at her through his visor.

"Um...you alright?" Tyler asked her. She just shrugged.

"I guess I'll live." She replied, looking round to where Emma and Troy were hopping down the rock face towards them. "Though how much longer that's the case is a little up in the air right now."

Troy and Emma were suddenly thrown as a blast hit the rock face, sending them tumbling down. They turned in time to see Koda and Chase arriving, Koda had converted his blaster and sabre into their combined mode. The end was still smoking.

"Great to see..."

"Get DOWN!" Tyler called out as he and Shelby levelled their blasters their way. Koda and Chase kit the ground, sliding to their side, just underneath their combined fire, which hit Gia and Jake just as they were about to attack. Regaining their feet, Koda and Chase added their fire to the assault, taking them both down.

"Damn, that was close!" Chase muttered. Riley ran into the clearing, rejoining his team.

"Dude, you got away from...?"

"Not for long." Riley told them. "He's every bit as good as everyone says. It...kind of makes me want to win all the more."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. These guys are still our friends." Tyler answered. "We have to stop them, but if we can save them at the same time, we have to try."

"I get that, but we can't take much more of this." Shelby answered. "I say it's time for tough love. We need to take off the kid gloves."

"Or put on a whole lot of steel." Chase said, catching her drift. "I'm in."

"I'm ready for round 2." Riley agreed. "And it looks like it's not a moment too soon."

They all turned to see the Corsairs coming together a little way off, forming up against them. Tyler knew this was a risky strategy. If they were powerful as individuals, as a team, they were downright deadly. The Dinos had nowhere near their experience as a team, but they had always come together in times of need. All of their victories were team efforts, and knowing that, he hoped that the unspoken bond of the Energems, the strange, unexplained instinct it gave them as a unit would tip the balance.

"Amateur hour is over!" Gia announced, placing a key into the Power Lock on her pistol, turning it. The other Corsairs all levelled their pistols at the Dinos. "If you've got any last words, I hope for your sake they're poignant."

"Dino Steel Mode!" They all yelled, running their blasters down their arms. The armour formed up around them just as the blasts hit home. They were all on their knees, but the armour had taken the worst of it. The Corsairs watched as they all got back to their feet, their armour still smoking.

"Holy..."

"We don't want this! Let us help you!" Tyler implored them as they summoned up their individual weapons. Tyler gripped his Tyrano Fist and his blaster tightly.

"Let's make a show of this!" Tyler responded, at which the Corsairs let out a huge cry, charging towards the Dino's line. The Dinos followed suit, meeting them in the centre of the clearing.

Back at the museum, Anton had quietly closed the museum. He had made up some story about a minor maintenance issue, and promised everyone that was there that they would be reimbursed for their costs, and brought back as invited guests for a complimentary tour.

Once the place was clear, he set his team to work on using every piece of equipment available to scan every inch of his helicopter's last known location. They had tracked their flight path, but it had suddenly disappeared without a trace.

Matt was frantically pacing back and forth. Everyone in the room could feel his frustration and worry. He had come to the museum to see Riley, to see how he was enjoying his life here and reaffirm that he had done the right thing convincing their mom to let him go. Matt had always been happy on the farm. He'd never had any desire to go beyond that, he loved the peace and still of it all. He loved the fact that he knew everyone in town on a first name basis. To him, that was where he belonged, what he wanted, but Riley always seemed to have his head just about anywhere BUT the farm.

Right now though, his heart was pounding as all sorts of horrible images came to mind. He didn't claim to know much about flying, hell, the closest he'd come to flying was politely refusing to sit in the passenger seat of a neighbouring farmer's crop duster when he hired him to help with their harvest. He was happiest with both feet firmly on the ground, maybe on horseback, but that was as far as he liked being off the ground. He knew that while everyone said air travel was safe, when something went wrong, it could go disastrously wrong. It was basic physics. The same thing happened to pretty much anything if you took it a few thousand feet off the ground and dropped it.

"Why is this taking so long?" Matt snarled as he came to one of the computers. "How the hell does anyone just lose a helicopter that weighs a couple of tons?"

"Matt, please try to calm down." Anton pleaded with him. He could completely understand how worried he was. It wasn't as though there was much he could say to help matters. He doubted there was much he could say that would get them beyond the fact that even beyond the fact Riley and the others were missing, Anton was the one that had sent them. It was his helicopter that was missing. "We're really doing everything we can..."

"I trusted you Anton!" Matt snapped at him. "You sold me on all these wonderful things you'd do for Riley, and I bought it!"

"Matt..."

"Unless I'm forgetting something, I don't remember where we discussed putting my little brother on a helicopter and crashing him into the ocean!" Matt barked. A couple of security guys started to move, but Anton just held up a hand.

"We don't know what happened to the helicopter. Until we find it, there could be any number of reasons they're out of communication..."

"You find him Anton." Matt said coldly. Anton didn't need him to make a threat. Not only did he know that Matt kind of had a point about his part in this, he also knew that Matt probably knew in his heart he would never wilfully put them in danger. He was just lashing out, not only because he was worried about Riley, but because he knew that right now, he had to be thinking about what he was going to tell their mother.

"Sir, we just got the satellite images back." One of the other technicians told him. "We fed it through that new software like you asked."

Anton started to run the images, which were top-down images, which his software converted into a 3 dimensional grid.

He turned it and rendered it, turning it from a simple grid, into an actual 3 dimensional hologram of the island system in the area.

"Alright, let's take a look at that flight path." Anton said, plotting in the course, up until the point they lost contact. Matt watched as he turned and pulled in on the map. He then saw something change about Anton's demeanour. He sighed and walked away from the computer.

"Everyone take five." He told them. "Give me the room."

The rest of the team all filed out, leaving Matt completely stunned by this. They were all still missing and Anton was sending them on a break?

"Anton, what the hell?" Matt asked him. "They're still..."

"I...I recognise those island ranges." Anton told him. "I know where they are."

"Wait...you recognise the islands?" He asked. "Then why didn't you...?"

"I needed to see them. The last time I was there, I didn't exactly know where I was going." Anton told him. This was true, the last time he had been teleported there as an invited guest to lay Jordan to rest. He didn't actually know where Gosei's island was, but when he saw the model rendered before him, when he could actually see the mountains and rock formations...he could remember standing on a cliff with Emma, taking stock of everything that had happened. "I'm going to get them back. I just need to contact some friends..."

"I'm coming with you!" Matt put down with authority.

"Matt, I can't..."

"I'm coming with you one way or another." Matt told him. "And don't think any of those security guys of yours scare me."

Anton just sighed. He was going to be taking a risk bringing Matt with him. He was going to risk exposing the truth behind what was really going on at the museum. Hell, he was going to take Matt to an island that no one knew existed and that housed many of the secrets of the Corsair Rangers. He could tell that Matt wasn't going to be denied though.

"Alright, come with me." Anton told him, pulling out his cell phone. "Hello, Andrew? It's Anton here. Listen, can you meet me off the coast of Amber Beach's North Point in an hour? I need to borrow your ride."

Back on the island, the battle of the Rangers had taken a turn as the Dinos brought it into a team affair. No longer concentrating on a single opponent, the Dinos made a point of getting each other's backs when they saw one another struggling.

The Corsairs were forced to regroup, coming together a little way off. The Dinos watched as they summoned up their cannon.

"You're not the only ones that can play the team card!" Jake spat as he took up position, gripping it tightly.

"Guys, on me!" Tyler told them. "I have an idea."

The Dinos didn't know how wise putting all of them in the direct firing line of the cannon was, but they instinctively trusted Tyler. Sometimes his ideas seemed insane, but they had a habit of working.

"Alright, what now?" Chase asked.

"Dino Spike." Tyler told them. "Shelby, you're the lightest, we're throwing you. Aim for behind them. We don't want them in the middle of the blast; just catch them with the shockwave."

"Right." Shelby responded as she took up position, while they assembled the Dino Spike. Emma saw them doing this and started to laugh.

"Look at that, they want to try pitting weapons against each other!" She sneered.

"If they want to die so badly, let them try it." Noah answered. "We all know what happens at the business end of this thing."

Both sides powered up their weapons. Tyler watched them, timing their move.

"Alright, launch!" He announced, at which they threw Shelby up into the air as high and as far as they could. "Now hit the deck!"

He had been watching Troy, the trigger man, waiting for when he was about to fire. He pulled the trigger, but by the time he did, the Dinos had all thrown themselves out of the way, and Shelby was soaring over the energy blast. It flew past harmlessly, but hit the obelisk behind the Dinos. The Corsairs all watched in horror as they realised they had destroyed it.

"JORDAN!" Troy screamed, as they all became distracted by the unintentional destruction of the grave marker. Shelby took the opportunity to launch her own attack, bringing the Spike down behind them. The blast threw all of the Corsairs to the ground, at which they de-morphed and stopped moving. Tyler recalled his suit, doubling over to catch his breath. Unfortunately, a loud roar reminded them the battle wasn't done. Somewhere on the island, an irate Zord was about to awaken.

"Chase, Riley, check on them." Tyler told them. "Shelby, Koda, you're with me."

On the other side of the island, there was another battle raging on. Orion was outnumbered, but knowing that this was one of the few chances that he had to have his friends, and the woman he loved returned to him, he fought with all the fire he had in some of his darkest days, following the destruction of Andresia.

Wrench went for him with his axe, but found himself catching the business end of the Silver Spear. He rammed him into the rock face, splitting it, and causing him to slump down onto the ground. Tears started to spout from him like a fountain. Orion just looked at him in disgust.

"You're crying? Seriously?" Orion asked. "And I thought Vekar was a cry baby!"

He was cut off though as Poisandra blasted him from behind. He steadied himself, before powering up his weapon, swiping her down. He was about to follow up when Curio launched himself onto his back.

"Mistress!" The strange, patchwork creature cried. Orion was staggered for a moment, but seeing StingRage, and realising he was the one that had stung the others; he knew he was the one to concentrate on. He rushed to the attack, with Curio still hanging on for dear life, barely noticing the creature's weight on his back.

Their weapons clashed as they fought for supremacy. Sting Rage could tell that Orion was powerful, perhaps even powerful enough to destroy him, but he didn't need to last much longer. The AnkyloZord roared, indicating that it was awake, and they could feel the earth shaking. It was about to dig itself out, to confront those that had disturbed its slumber. It would only be moments before he would bring it under his control.

He clutched a huge, burning wound left in his chest by Orion's Silver Spear, and realised he was in trouble. He needed a distraction, a way to stall Orion long enough to prepare for the AnkyloZord's arrival. Glancing across, he saw Kendall fighting with Moogers as she made her way towards the pit they had dug.

This one was different. She was no Ranger, she had no powers, that was obvious by the fact she hadn't morphed when she was running into a battle involving FOUR monsters. However, there seemed to be no hint of fear in her at all as she took on Moogers with...was that a spade? She ploughed through them with a strength that was impressive. It was clear she was trained, and she was more than a match for several of the Viviks. There were already a number of them down and out, and while she did take a few shots when they outnumbered her, nothing was stopping her in her advance.

He powered up a blast and threw it her way. Kendall was fortunate enough to be turning his way, and saw it in time to block with her spade, but the sheer force sent her flying off her feet. Orion could only watch as she disappeared down the pit. Viviks were already flooding down there after her, looking to take advantage.

"Kendall!" He screamed. As Sting Rage attacked, he threw him to the ground, and converted his Silver Spear into blaster mode. Turning his Ranger Key in the lock, he fired off his shot as Sting Rage got back up. The recoil sent him into a back somersault, which he controlled, landing on top of Curio, who was still clinging to him, forcing him to let go. He rolled back to his feet in time to see Poisandra and Wrench grabbing Curio.

"This thing still has plenty left!" Orion warned them. Poisandra and Wrench looked to each other, before helping Curio up and running for their lives. Orion converted his Silver Spear back to its Trident Mode as he ran, leaping into the pit after Kendall.

When he got down there, he found her, injured, and lying in a heap on the ground, but still clutching her spade swinging it to keep the Viviks at bay. Even now, she wasn't giving up. He landed behind the line of Viviks, and in one stroke, destroyed the last of them. Kendall looked relieved to see him.

"Are you...?"

"I'll be better once we get off this island." She interrupted him. "I'm pretty sure my leg is broken."

"Here, let me..."

He was cut off as there was another roar, and a series of loud footsteps echoed through the cave. Turning slowly, he could see a pair of glowing red eyes, staring his way.

"Uh...Orion...maybe you should put that down." Kendall suggested, gesturing to the Silver Spear. "Something tells me he's a little cranky about being woken up."


	6. A Sting in the Tail

Fury was sitting, running a whetting stone along the blade of his sword, while Sledge was staring at some computer screens. Fury had no idea why he still did that, back in the day that was where he would check if new contracts had come up for him. He had already accepted that after being stranded in space for 65 million years, most of the people that had hired him regularly were long since dead. However, for some reason he didn't seem to grasp the fact that not many were even aware of who he was now, and so new contracts would be thin on the ground. If people were even aware of who he was, he had been inactive for so long, it would raise a lot of questions over whether or not he was up to the task.

"No new contracts." Sledge growled.

"Are you surprised?" Fury asked him. "You have been out of the game for millions of years."

"I am the greatest Bounty Hunter in the universe!" Sledge snarled as he slammed a fist through a computer screen. Viviks immediately rushed to the broken console and started to get to work, disconnecting it to put in a replacement. They were used to Sledge's temper fits by now. "I am..."

"There are younger, more active bounty hunters on the market." Fury advised him. "Cheaper too. It's not like we've been putting out adverts or anything."

"Perhaps...perhaps you have a point." Sledge conceded. "If I am to reaffirm my reputation, I need..."

He was interrupted as the door flew open, and Poisandra, Wrench and Curio all stumbled into the room. Wrench was still weeping hysterically, soaking the room with his fountain of tears. Poisandra threw herself into her fiancé's arms, clutching him like her life depended on it.

"What happened my sweet?" He asked as he saw Curio scramble into the corner and start cowering under his blanket.

"It...It was awful, those wicked, wicked Rangers...they don't fight fair!" She whined as she held him. As powerful as she was, Sledge knew she was something of a glass cannon. She could wreak devastation with little to no effort...however she had a habit of losing composure when people fought back.

"Wrench!" He snapped. "I thought you were taking care of this!"

"I was sir!" He wailed, going to the control console. "I had them dead to rights, but then the Silver Ranger showed up and ruined everything!"

"Silver?" Sledge asked, before looking to Fury. "There's a Silver one now?"

"Not as far as I remember." Fury replied. "Violet, Gold, Graphite...no, there aren't any Silver Energems."

"It wasn't one of THEIR Rangers, it was the Silver Corsair!" Wrench rushed out. Sledge just looked to him curiously.

"Corsair?" He asked. "And what exactly was the Silver Corsair doing there?"

"He's probably trying to get his friends back! I had Sting Rage take control of their minds!" Wrench told them. Sledge just got up off his chair.

"You mean to tell me...the Corsair Rangers, the most sought after prize in the galaxy are in one place at the same time...and you didn't TELL ME?" He roared. Wrench just gulped.

"You are aware Mavro is gone right?" Fury asked him. "No one is offering a bounty on them anymore."

"Sometimes you have to spend money to make money." Sledge responded, heading for the drop pods. "Program a drop pod to take me to them! If I manage to bring down the Corsairs, I'll have more contracts than I know what to do with!"

He stepped into the drop pod, while Wrench set the targeting system. Fury stood over his shoulder, observing his work.

"You've targeted all systems have you?" Fury asked.

"Of course!" Wrench protested. "I wouldn't want to drop Master Sledge into the ocean would I?"

"Good." Fury replied, mashing his hand down on the button for the maximiser. "Let's stack the deck a little."

Meanwhile, on the waterfront back in Amber Beach, Anton was waiting, while Matt was pacing back and forward, his mood not letting up for a moment. After hearing that Anton knew where Riley and his friends were, he was hoping for a full-blown rescue effort. Anton had insisted he knew someone that could help, but Matt was becoming impatient. He was hoping for the Coast Guard, the Military...hell, everyone in the Western Hemisphere with a boat or helicopter to be out looking for his brother, and yet here they were standing on a beach.

"We're wasting time!" Matt snapped. "Riley's out there..."

"Riley is a capable and resourceful young man and I can assure you that he and his team were well equipped for the worst." Anton assured him. "I'm sure he'll be fine..."

"Unless something's already happened to him!" Matt yelled. "What if he's hurt? What if he's...?"

His words tailed off as he heard a very unusual sound. He turned his attention to the sea, where he could see a huge spray billowing up, and a strange looking craft coming their way fast. Anton just smiled.

"It would appear our ride has arrived." He commented as the ship rushed up to the shore and stopped. A panel slid back and a friendly looking man stepped out. "Andrew, thank you for coming on such short notice."

"Anything for the family." He replied, shaking Anton's hand.

"Matt, I'd like you to meet Dr Andrew Hartford." Anton introduced him. "This ship, the SHARK, is quite simply the fastest craft on the ocean. We'll see your brother again in no time."

"Hartford...that name sounds familiar." Matt said, trying to put his finger on it. He was sure he had seen this man before, and he had heard the name, he just couldn't quite place it.

"Well, shall we get going?" Andrew asked. Matt was curious as to exactly who this man was, but since he was willing to help, and appeared to have the means to do so, he was willing to go with it. As he stepped on board, Andrew looked to Anton.

"Are you sure we should bring him with us?" He asked.

"You can try stopping him if you like." Anton answered as he got on board. Andrew just sighed and climbed aboard, getting behind the controls and strapping himself in.

"Alright, everybody hold on." He stated, firing up the engines. Matt gripped the edges of his chair tightly as the ship launched forward, quickly coming up to speed.

Back on the island, Tyler, Koda and Shelby broke through the tree line, finding the dig site. They could only stare at what they saw before them. The beach was littered with discarded weapons, and there were unmistakable signs of a vicious battle. Before them, they could see the hole in the ground where Wrench's team had been searching for the Ankylozord.

"Wow...it looks like we missed the party." Tyler commented. "What the hell happened here?"

They heard a roar, followed by a loud crashing, and the entire island shook. A moment later, the Silver Corsair Ranger leapt out of the hole, carrying someone in his arms. As he landed before them, they saw it was Kendall. The three Dinos prepared a guard, but Orion just shook his head.

"Its fine, I'm not here to fight." He told them. He looked to Koda. "Here, take her, but be careful. Her leg is broken."

"What happened to Kendall?" Tyler asked. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything! It was that monster that blasted her down the pit." He told them. "She was kicking ass until he did."

"Ms Morgan?" Shelby asked. Kendall just looked to her as Orion handed her to Koda.

"You think you're the only ones that know how to throw a punch?" She asked. "I spent a year studying under Tommy Oliver. Let's just say I learned about more than just dinosaur bones."

"It looks like it." Tyler answered with a smile. Just then, they heard another roar. "OK, what was that?"

"That...that would be the Ankylozord." Kendall replied. "And given the fact he tried to crush us ten seconds ago, I'd say he didn't appreciate the wake up call."

They all looked to the pit, just as the Ankylozord emerged. It towered over them, its eyes blazing red. The ground shook as it walked towards them, scrambling out of its resting place.

"OK, it definitely looks pissed." Shelby stammered.

Just then, the maximiser ray hit the ground, right where Sting Rage had fallen. They could only watch as he was revived and started to grow.

"Great, that's all we need." Orion muttered.

"Koda, give me back to Orion." Kendall stated. Koda seemed reluctant to do so. It wasn't that long ago that he was fighting the rest of Orion's team. "Trust me!"

As Sting Rage started to make his way forward, the Ankylozord smashed its tail into him, landing a telling blow to his chest.

Koda reluctantly handed over Kendall, at which Orion left with her, fleeing into the jungle.

"Alright guys, let's call the Zords." Tyler stated. "Maybe we can convince it we're friends."

Elsewhere on the island, Emma started to stir and come to. She had a tremendous headache, but looking around, she was completely confused.

"What...what happened?" She asked. She heard a groan from nearby, and looked over seeing Gia lying on the ground a little way off.

"Gia?" She asked. She tried to move, and it was only then she found she couldn't move her hands. They were bound behind her back. Looking down, her ankles had been tied together as well. "What the hell?"

"Chase!" Riley called out. The Black Ranger was standing guard, just in case anyone came for them. He turned, noticing that the Corsairs were starting to come around.

"OK, where are we?" Gia asked. "Why are we tied up?"

"It's just the small matter of you trying to pound us into oblivion a few minutes ago." Chase answered.

"Wait...what?" She asked. "The last thing I remember was...getting a phone call at the hotel..."

"You don't remember?" Riley asked them.

"Wait...Something is coming to me...I got this weird phone call...then..." Troy started to say as some of the fog started to clear. "Oh God...we didn't..."

"You really kind of did." Riley stated. "My ears are still ringing from that last shot."

"Guys...!" Noah said, looking to a pile of rubble a little way off. They all got a horrible sinking feeling as the memory came back to them. It was all that was left of the obelisk.

"Can you untie us now?" Jake asked. Chase and Riley just looked to each other.

"I...don't think..."

"It'll be fine Chase." Kendall told him as Orion arrived, carrying her. Chase saw that the Silver Corsair was carrying her and levelled his pistol at him. "Chase, it's fine. Sting Rage was destroyed. When he was destroyed, the hive mind he used to control them must have been broken."

"Ms Morgan?" Gia asked, remembering her from the wedding. She then looked to the two Rangers. "Wait, Riley...Chase...you guys are...?"

Riley and Chase both de-morphed, looking to Kendall.

"Whatever happened to secret identities?" Chase asked.

"They're Rangers, and they know the identities of every other Ranger on Earth, I think we can trust them to keep our secret." Kendall told him as Orion put her down. She stood on her one, uninjured leg, leaning on him for support as he lowered her to the ground. "You can untie them."

As Chase and Orion started to get to work untying the Corsairs, Riley came to Kendall's side and started to examine her injuries. She had numerous cuts and bruises from the fall, but he could tell the leg was the most serious injury. As soon as he touched it, Kendall gritted her teeth in pain.

"It's broken." She told him. Riley just nodded.

"Yeah, it's broken alright." He answered. He looked around for some branches to form into a makeshift splint. "We need to immobilise it."

"Tyler and the others are on the other side of the island." Kendall told them. "They're fighting the Ankylozord and Sting Rage. They need help."

"You need help." Riley answered.

"If they can't tame the Ankylozord, all of this will have been for nothing!" Kendall told him. "I'll be fine for a few hours, they need you now."

"We'll take care of her." Orion assured him. "Go help your friends."

Riley and Chase didn't want to go, but they knew Kendall had a point. If they didn't help the others, it was possible they would lose everything. Running off, they left Kendall and the Corsairs in the clearing.

"So...you're the new guys?" Emma asked.

"They are, I'm not." Kendall answered. "The Energems choose who they bond to. I just make the weapons."

"Well, you're doing a good job so far." Jake answered. "I'm still feeling the effects of those!"

Just then, they all looked around as Sledge crashed through the undergrowth, coming before them. Troy just stared at him.

"I'm guessing he's not a friend." He surmised.

"That's Sledge. He's the Big Bad." Kendall told them.

"So you're the one that sent that monster after us." Noah concluded.

"The Corsair Rangers...I'd never have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes!" He snarled. "You will be a rich prize indeed."

"Yeah, good luck with that." Jake answered. "Ready guys?"

With that, the Corsair Rangers all morphed, rushing into battle. Sledge may not have done it himself, but it was one of his underlings that had forced them to fight the Rangers...had made them destroy the obelisk. Now, they were determined to make him pay.

Meanwhile, in the SHARK, Matt was watching as Andrew guided the craft. The island still didn't show up on the scanners, but he had the co-ordinates locked in.

"Try to stay calm; I'm sure they're fine." Anton told him. "Like I said, there are many reasons..."

Just then, the entire craft shook as they hit some kind of energy field. Andrew fought with the controls.

"What was that?" Matt asked.

"I'm not sure, but it seems like some kind of energy field." He replied.

"Energy field?" Matt asked. "Like...in Star Trek or something?"

"Hold on tight!" Andrew told them. After a bit of a bumpy ride, the Shark eventually broke through to the other side. Almost as soon as they had gotten through, an island appeared before them, almost like it had come out of thin air. Right there, on the beach, they could see the Megazord, the Ankylozord and Sting Rage battling on the beach. Matt's mouth just hung open in shock.

"You...you guys aren't just archaeologists are you?" He asked. Andrew just shrugged.

"I'll let you field that one." He replied. "I'll just try and find somewhere we can land where we won't get squashed."

At the site of the battle, the Megazord staggered and stumbled, sparking as Sting Rage struck it with a vicious attack.

"That...that bad." Koda stated. "We in trouble."

"We're not out of it yet!" Tyler told him. Unfortunately at that point, the Ankylozord swung around, knocking both Sting Rage and the Megazord to the ground with its tail.

"Hey, we're on your side!" Shelby protested. "Don't you remember your friends?"

"Never fear, the Hot Shot is here!" Chase chimed in cheerfully as he and Riley arrived on the scene, bringing their Zords into the battle. Sting Rage was fighting with the Ankylozord, grappling with it. They could see he had a massive version of his sting in his hand.

"The sting...he's trying to take control of the Ankylozord!" Tyler rushed out.

"Not on our watch!" Riley stated, launching his Raptor Zord at the monster. Sting Rage was sent staggering away from the Ankylozord, which stood and watched the Raptor attacking him. Koda noticed something about its demeanour changing.

"Ankylozord remember." He told them. "He know we're friends."

"We still have to take care of Sting Rage." Tyler reminded them.

"After that beating? We hardly have the power to stand up straight!" Shelby told him.

"Well it looks like he has plenty of energy to spare." Tyler answered with a smile. "How about it Ankylozord? Want some payback?"

The Ankylozord turned towards, them, launching itself into the air. The Stegozord detached, and the Ankylozord shifted form, becoming a new weapon for their Zord. Tyler looked to it, seeing its tail had formed into a powerful looking hammer weapon.

"Well, you know what they say, if your only tool is a hammer, treat every problem like a nail!" He remarked as they rushed forward. "Riley, Chase, clear the way!"

They both steered their zords aside as the Megazord came forward. Sting Rage barely saw them coming before the hammer came down, glowing brightly with power as it did. He hit the ground one last time and exploded.

"And that's how you squash a bug!" Tyler chimed in cheerfully. "Monster Extinct."

Elsewhere, Sledge fought with the Corsair Rangers, trying to cement his reputation as the ultimate Bounty Hunter at their expense. He was no stranger to tough fights, and while he knew calling in some support would be the wisest thing to do, his pride was on the line. He needed to show the entire sector that he was the man to bring their contracts to.

Troy and the others all gathered together, catching their breath.

"OK, this guy is definitely tough." Gia commented. "He'd have given Damaras a run for his money."

"Well he's going the same way!" Jake responded. They put power keys into their pistols, powering them up, before firing at him. Sledge was hit full on by the blast, and hit the ground hard. They all watched in amazement as he started to get up. His armour was clearly damaged, but he was still getting back to his feet.

"He...He took it?" Emma asked. Sledge fired off a salvo of rockets, taking the Corsairs down. They were barely able to get back up from his attack.

"You will be a fine trophy indeed." Sledge stated. "The only question is, do I just keep your helmets? Or do I stuff and mount you?"

"How about neither?" Tyler asked as the Dinos arrived back on the scene. Sledge looked around, seeing he was completely surrounded.

"YOU!" He roared. "This is none of your concern!"

"Really? Because I just heard you threatening to practice taxidermy on my friends!" Chase answered, levelling his pistol his way.

"Coming here alone, that was a pretty dumb move." Shelby answered. Sledge analysed his position, before activating his rocket pack.

"Don't think this is over!" He warned them. "Once I deal with the Dinos, I'll be back for you!"

With that, he blasted off. Tyler and the others breathed a sigh of relief. After all their battles, they were running low on power. Fortunately, they had managed to bluff Sledge into thinking they had more left than they really did. They didn't want to think what might have happened if Sledge had stayed and fought.

"Wow, sorry you got dragged into this." Riley stated.

"Don't worry about it." Noah answered as they all de-morphed. "We were pirates, it wouldn't be the first time someone came for us looking to make a few bucks."

"We can take care of ourselves." Gia assured them. "Now how about we figure out how to get back? I kind of skipped out on my honeymoon! I have a lot of making up to do to my wife."


	7. The Island Rescue

Kendall was resting up, as much as she could while Tyler finished strapping up a makeshift splint.

"We'll definitely need to get you to a hospital when we get home to make sure there's nothing to worry about but..."

"It's fine Tyler. It wouldn't be the first time I got a little roughed up on a dig site." She told him. "I just wish we had something a little stronger than co-codamol."

"Are you sure you don't want to take the helicopter?" Troy asked her. "Only half of us need to wait on another ride, and..."

"I brought the team here, I led the expedition. If the rest of you aren't going, I have to stay. The leader's the last to leave."

"The Captain goes down with the ship." Troy smiled. He still thought it would be wisest if Kendall and at least half of them went with the pilot to alert Anton to the fact they needed to evacuate the rest, but he could understand why she didn't want to leave. "I know all about that."

"I never thought we'd ever be back here." Emma commented. "Gosei kept his island hidden for all these years, but now that Sledge knows about it..."

"He only cared when there was something of value on it." Shelby reminded her counterpart. "If there's nothing in it for him, I doubt he'll be back."

"No, instead he's just going to spend his time hunting us." Gia grumbled. "The press have only just started to leave us alone, and now a galactic bounty hunter wants to add us to his trophy room?"

"He's more concerned with the Energems right now; he'll not be looking for you for a while." Tyler assured them.

"Besides, given the fight you gave us, if we're lucky, we won't need to worry about him at all." Troy complimented the team. "You might just finish him off without our help."

"Well I for one am just glad to know there are others out there in case we need a hand." Shelby added. "It's good to know we have friends out there."

"Koda got the fire going." Orion declared as he and Riley came through the tree-line. "We should be able to get some food going soon."

"Now THAT sounds like a plan!" Chase said as he returned with Noah and Jake. "I am STARVING!"

"Well there's a surprise." Shelby replied. She grabbed a pack of chips from his bag and threw them to him. "Enjoy."

"Wait...what?" Chase asked. "I saw all the stuff we brought; we have franks, burgers..."

"Actually WE have all of that." Kendall reminded him. "You insisted we wouldn't need rations."

"Yeah, I remember that too." Tyler teased him. "What was it you said? We'd all be back by dinner time?"

"OK, I never accounted for something like this." Chase whined. "You're not seriously going to make me go all night on just a pack of chips are you?"

"Maybe you can use the pack as a sleeping bag!" Riley suggested. "At least one of your feet will be slightly warmer."

"Aw guys!" He complained. They all just shared a laugh at his expense.

"Don't worry about it. There's plenty of food." Tyler assured him. "But if you think you're sharing my sleeping bag, you can think again!"

"Where were you three anyway?" Gia asked. "And how did your clothes get so messed up?"

"Well, we have a little time before dinner so; I guess we can show you." Jake said, gesturing for them to follow him. Shelby positioned herself under Kendall's arm, helping her up, taking some of the weight as she hopped after them.

The team arrived a short way off, at a very familiar clearing. The Corsairs could see a large pile of black, shiny stone on the ground. Some of it had gold lettering on it.

"We couldn't repair it, but I figured we could at least gather up the pieces." Chase told them. "That way, there would still be a monument of sorts."

"You...you went to all that trouble?" Emma asked. Chase just nodded.

"I saw how upset you were that the obelisk was destroyed." Chase informed them. "And since it happened while we were fighting...I just kind of felt like this was the least we could do."

"Thank you." Troy said solemnly as the Corsairs all looked to the hastily erected monument. "It really means a lot."

Just then, they heard some rummaging in the bushes, just before Andrew, Anton and Matt broke through the undergrowth.

"Anton!" Kendall rushed out. "You...you came for us?"

"Yes, I..."

"Oh, and um...Matt...You're here too!" Kendall started to stammer.

"Matt came to the museum to visit Riley." Anton explained. "I told him about the dig."

"The dig...right...sorry we didn't call in. We had some problems with communications." Kendall answered. "Then there was...a rock slide! I took a spill and..."

"Kendall..."

"It sounds like you've had quite an adventure." Matt replied, seeing her. He folded his arms. "Those guys...aren't they the Corsair Rangers?"

"Oh...yes, they are!" Kendall replied. "We had Gia's wedding at the museum a while back. They...um...expressed an interest in going on a dig and we agreed to let them..."

She looked to Matt, who was just looking down on her with a knowing smirk. She then looked to Anton and Andrew, before breathing a sigh.

"And you're not buying any of this are you?" She asked, looking more than a little embarrassed.

"Not for a second." He chuckled. He found it strangely amusing to see her trying to stammer out a cover story.

"He saw the Zord battle from the SHARK." Andrew told her. "We kind of had to tell him."

"Oh." Kendall replied. The entire team started to look a little awkward at this point. They generally worked so hard to keep their identities under wraps. All of them had made more sacrifices than others of course. Tyler and Chase had already left home, and only really had to worry about minding what they said in the odd phone call home. Riley had to leave his home and his family behind, and he had to lie to them constantly to keep them from suspecting anything. Shelby still lived at home, and so she had to talk very quickly on a few occasions when she came home at odd times or when she got phone calls at all hours of the day. Koda...in some ways he had it the easiest. Everyone he knew basically already knew who he was. The point was, all of them had learned to be careful. Now though, they had found themselves being caught red-handed.

"Perhaps we should continue this conversation when we're underway?" Anton replied. "Matt, why don't you join Kendall, Riley and myself on the SHARK with Andrew? I'm sure we all have a lot to talk about."

"I really think we do." Matt replied. It was difficult to judge his mood. He clearly wasn't happy to think he'd been lied to, or that he had been taken in. It was more than just Riley, Anton and Kendall had gone to great lengths to deceive Matt and his mother, to trick them into allowing Riley to leave the farm. However, he seemed to ease up enough to accept that he needed to hear what they had to say. He went to Kendall. "Here, it's pretty rough ground between here and the SHARK. I'll help."

He grabbed Kendall gently, lifting her up into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck for support.

"It's just this way." Anton stated. "I take it the rest of you know the way to the helicopter?"

"Wait...there's still not enough room for all of us." Troy pointed out.

"Well, we've kind of been talking about that." Tyler answered. "We never came out here for a camping trip, but when it looked like we'd have to...I guess we all kind of started to get excited by the idea."

"Island nice." Koda stated. "Like home."

"I listened to a lot of Kendall's stories about what the camps were like when she was on a dig with her teams." Shelby stated. "I guess I was looking forward to having one of those stories of my own."

"What we're saying is, Anton...if it's alright with you, we'd really appreciate it if you left us here and came back for us in the morning." Tyler concluded.

"But only if someone lends me a sleeping bag." Chase added. Kendall just smiled.

"Well, it looks like I'm not going to need my kit." She told him. "You can take mine, but I hope this taught you something."

"Prepare for the worst." Chase grumbled.

"Are you sure about this?" Gia asked. "I mean, this WAS our home for a while. We wouldn't mind..."

"You all have your own lives to get back to. You've sacrificed enough as it is." Tyler answered.

"More than enough." Chase insisted. "Besides, now Koda's got a fire going, I'm looking forward to some good old fashioned campfire grub!"

"Well, if everyone's decided what they're doing, I think we should be getting back. I'm sure Kendall would appreciate getting to a hospital soon." Anton answered. "I guess we'll be seeing the rest of you in the morning."

With that, Matt carried Kendall, as the rest of them departed, leaving Koda, Tyler, Chase and Shelby to their camp. Tyler turned to the others, and smiled.

"Alright, so...now that we're here, what do we want to do first?" He asked. "Ghost stories, songs..."

"Dude, there is only one thing that I want to see right now." Chase said with a huge smile, reaching into Kendall's kit bag and pulling out some sausages.

"Koda hungry too." Koda agreed.

"Then I guess that's settled!" Shelby replied cheerfully, getting some skewers out of her own kit bag. "Let's get this camp started!"

Up on Sledge's ship, he came back into the bridge, still reeling from his battle with the Corsairs. They were indeed strong foes. Having fought them personally, he could now believe they had been the ones to destroy the Armada.

He had made the decision to go after them purely for professional reasons. If he could advertise himself as the one that destroyed the Corsair Rangers, he was sure to be the most sought-after Bounty Hunter ever. While there was no bounty on them, and so any resources he expended on them would have been a loss, he was willing to consider it an investment. If he had defeated the Corsairs, made an example of them, then every warlord around would seek him out to take down those threats they were having trouble with themselves.

"Sledgums!" Poisandra shrieked, seeing him coming into the room. His armour was dented and scorched, the signs of his battle. Even before the Dino Rangers showed up, the Corsairs were giving him an impressive run for his money. He would bear the scars of this battle for some time. However, when the Dino Rangers showed up, he could see the tide had turned. He still had a lot to give, but he was a businessman, not a gambler. Even if he had somehow managed to defeat both teams, he would surely have exerted so much strength, he had no idea if he would be able to continue his search for the Energems. What would be the point in winning a battle if it left him too broken down to carry on? "Those accursed Corsairs! They dare to do this to my precious Sledgeums? I swear I'm going to..."

"You are going to do NOTHING!" Sledge snarled as he sat down. "WRENCH!"

"C...c...c...coming!" He stammered fearfully. His plan had caused the Rangers major problems, and had come close to destroying them, he could only think of where they had ended up. By the time the whole sorry incident was over, another of their prisoners had been destroyed, the Rangers now had a new Zord in their arsenal, and worst of all, Sledge had been personally injured. He started to make his way slowly over, wondering when his punishment was to come.

"Make yourself useful and get to work repairing this." He snapped, gesturing to his armour. "Those Corsairs will make a fine prize one day, but I made a big mistake, one only a rookie should make in this game. I allowed my focus to be distracted."

"Sledgeums..."

"From now on, I never want to HEAR the word Corsair!" He put down flatly. "Until we get those Energems, nothing else matters!"

"Really?" Poisandra asked. "Nothing?"

Sledge just softened, hearing this. He looked to Wrench.

"Leave us." Sledge told him. He waved in Curio's direction. "Take that with you! I'll call when we want you back."

With that, he left the room as Sledge drew his fiancée closer. He closed the door behind him. He breathed a sigh of relief, but as he started to head back to his lab, he noticed Fury leaning on a wall a little way off.

"Well Wrench, it looks like you lucked out of that one." Fury taunted him.

"I've done more in a day than you managed in millions of years Fury!" Wrench answered him back. Fury just nodded.

"Oh, yes, that is true." He replied. "You managed to hand the Rangers a new, powerful weapon on a silver platter, and into the bargain, you almost got Sledge killed. Good job on that by the way."

"It's not like you're doing anything that's so great!" Wrench protested. Fury growled as he approached him, grabbing Wrench and shoving him against a bulkhead. The mechanic knew he had pushed his luck, angering the vicious warrior. Fury just grinned.

"Oh, I have something in mind alright." He assured him. "Have you ever heard the expression, hoist by your own petard?"

He threw Wrench to the floor and looked down on him.

"I say, why waste our resources?" Fury asked him. "I plan to use their own means against them."

Back in the city, Kendall was in the hospital, her leg now encased in plaster. The doctors were satisfied that there was no other serious injuries, and after ensuring the leg was set properly, they had made up a proper cast. She would be able to get around with crutches, a good thing since they now had more work to do. Now that Sledge knew about the Ankylozord, he knew they had the means to search for other gems and zords. If nothing else, he knew that the search would be a lot quicker, and so they were now in a more desperate race. Now, she was certain that if anything, Sledge's attacks would only get more frequent and vicious. They needed to get back to the search as soon as possible.

She looked up to the door as Matt walked in. She was a little surprised to see him. They had talked on the SHARK on the way back.

"Matt?" She asked, looking around. "Um...I think Riley's..."

"Riley's in the waiting room, he'll be in shortly." He told her. "I kind of wanted to talk to you alone for a little while."

"I...guess that's alright." Kendall said, feeling a little nervous. Matt just sat down on the chair next to her bed. She could guess what it was probably about. Matt had already heard about Riley's responsibilities to the team, and he had accepted that he needed to stay. He had even been convinced that it was for the best that as few people knew about him as possible. She could tell though that he still wasn't happy.

"Well, I guess now it's clear why Anton really helped us out so much." Matt began. When he said it like that, Kendall figured it did sound pretty bad. "He was trying to buy Riley from us."

"Matt, it wasn't..."

"Isn't it?" Matt asked her. "Be honest with me, the farming equipment, the help, the money, would he have given a second thought to giving us all that stuff if it wasn't for this?"

Kendall didn't answer immediately. It spoke volumes, she knew he was right. Anton would likely not have invested so much in the Griffin farm if it wasn't so important that they get Riley to stay in town.

"OK, if I'm honest, probably not." Kendall admitted. "But the tutors, the scholarship, all of that is legit."

"You wouldn't have..."

"Maybe we offered that stuff to Riley because we knew we needed him." Kendall told him honestly. "All we know is once the Energems bond to someone, that's pretty much it. We can't do anything about that, so we knew we needed Riley, but there's one thing we always were straight up about."

"I'd really like to hear what that is." Matt said, looking straight at her. Kendall couldn't help feeling bad about all of this. She never thought her future lay in lying to families to press their kids into a war without their consent.

"We always wanted to do what's right by Riley." Kendall told him. "We knew we'd need him to fight, but disrupting his education, jeopardising his future, that was never a consideration. It was always decided that we needed to find a way to help him maintain his education. We set up the scholarship specifically for him, to make sure he wouldn't miss out."

Matt just looked to her, looking a little put out. Kendall took a deep breath.

"It was me that insisted we had to do that." Kendall informed him. "I know we've lied about a lot of things, but Riley was always my priority. The team...I know I don't always show it, but I don't just think of my team as people to carry weapons, they're people! I'd never want anything..."

"Now that...I believe." He answered, smiling a little. Kendall just looked to him.

"You believe me?" She asked him in response. He gestured to her leg.

"You went out into the field without any powers. You risked your own ass when you could have got any one of them to do it for you." He reminded her.

"Yeah, that wasn't my brightest move." She admitted.

"No, but it was one of the most incredible things that I've seen." He told her, taking her hand softly. "And that's why I know you're the kind of person I want looking out for my brother."

"Really?" She asked him. He just nodded.

"And for what it's worth, I think you'd make a great Ranger." He told her.

"Yeah, some Ranger." She muttered. "The Pink Energem rejected me, and now...now it looks like the Aqua Gem has too."

"I'm sorry?" He asked, not understanding this. Kendall just looked dejected.

"The only way the Ankylozord would awaken is if someone bonded to the Aqua Energem." She replied. "I don't know why they haven't come forward, or why we haven't been able to find them, but now, someone is running around with the power of the Aqua Energem and...we have absolutely no idea who they are!"

"Well, for what it's worth, I couldn't think of anyone I'd have rather had taking that Gem than you." Matt assured her. "But seeing how you take care of Riley, I know whoever it is will be lucky to have you looking out for them."

He moved to the edge of her bed, and started stroking some hair from her face.

"What...what are you doing?" Kendall asked him. Matt just smiled. He didn't say anything, he just moved in, kissing her passionately. Kendall's heart raced as she reached for him, only...

...to be jolted awake. She looked around, realising she was in her ward, and that the place was pitch black. It was obviously late. Her mouth was dry, and there was a jug of water on the counter next to her with a glass. The painkillers...she was given some strong meds when they brought her in, she must have been asleep for hours!

She poured herself a glass of water, taking a sip as she realised that it must have been a dream. Of course it was a dream. Why else would...still, she was able to recall the conversation in the SHARK. At least Matt had agreed to stay quiet, although he did insist he would visit more often just to make sure Riley was alright.

Kendall lay back down, pulling the covers around herself as she thought about the last part, a thought that had occurred to her ever since she had heard the Ankylozord had awakened. Someone had bonded to the Aqua Energem. She didn't know what bothered her more, the fact that someone was now running around with that power and that somehow, for some reason, they had managed to stay under the radar meaning that anyone could be harnessing that power, or the fact that it meant that once again, she had been determined unworthy of the power.


	8. The Griffin Brothers

Riley came out of the apartment block and headed out onto the grassy knoll by the parking lot, carrying a large grocery bag with him. Matt was there, standing over a grill he had set up there, keeping careful eye on the burning charcoal. He smiled as his little brother arrived.

"This is everything I could find, I just about cleaned us out." Riley told him.

"Perfect timing, the flames are dying down, pretty soon it should be time to start cooking." Matt said as he took the bag, starting to unload some drumsticks and some burgers. "I know a barbeque with your big bro isn't quite the same as camping with your friends, but I figured it's the next best thing."

"It has been a while, and that barbeque marinade of yours is just epic." Riley replied as Matt started to load drumsticks into a casserole filled with thick, sticky red sauce and tossed them around, making sure they were coated thoroughly. When he was satisfied they were done, he placed the casserole on the shelf at the side of the barbeque.

"Alright, we just need to let those marinade for a few minutes." He replied as he gestured to the ground. He sat with Riley, while they waited for the barbecue to be ready to begin cooking. "So...this Power Ranger thing..."

"Yeah, it's all pretty crazy I know." Riley answered as he sat with his brother. He'd hated lying to him, he had hardly ever lied to his brother in his life, the last time he had was when he had competed in the fencing tournament without his mom's consent. As much as the battles were hard, the worst part for him was that he couldn't tell his brother about it. Fury had already been uncomfortably close to the farm once when he went after the Green Energem, and the only reason he hadn't been back was because Riley left. He would never forgive himself it Fury or Sledge made the connection back to his mom's place and targeted Matt or his mom. He pulled out his Energem. "I never even knew what this thing was. I wasn't even interested in it. I was just trying to save Rubik."

"Yeah, that old mutt never did know what was good for him." Matt chuckled, shaking his head. "Do you remember when he started hassling the Fisher's goat?"

"Remember? I had to give him that ointment every day for three weeks!" Riley laughed in response. "At least he learned his lesson."

"Wow, my little brother's a Power Ranger." Matt reiterated. "I guess you really didn't waste all that time fencing."

"It's come in pretty handy at times." Riley admitted. "Though I have to admit, at times I wish I'd paid a little more attention when you tried to teach me to shoot."

"We got your report cards back from the education department a little while ago." Matt told him.

"Yeah, I got those results too." Riley answered. "I was really happy; I couldn't believe it, but a lot of the stuff Ms Morgan taught me, it just all kind of clicked."

"Well, Anton more than made good on his promise with the improvement in your grades." Matt agreed. "I had to practically help mom off the floor when she read that report card. She's already looking at colleges and Universities...I swear I heard her yelling at some guy from Harvard on the phone the other day because he said they rarely look at early admissions."

"I don't envy the guy." Riley said, imagining the scene. His mom was a small woman, but she could scream with the best of them when she was angry. Riley never made much trouble as a kid, but the few times he had were memorable. He was probably more scared of what his mom would say if she found out about all of this than he was of Sledge. "So, now that you know..."

"I already said I wouldn't say anything." Matt told him.

"Yeah, but you didn't say anything about..."

"Riley, I don't claim to understand all of this, but I do know a few things. I know that all the time I've seen your battles on TV, those monsters weren't kidding around. People's lives were in danger, and while I'm not exactly over the moon about my baby brother being pulled into this, I know we don't really have much choice in this." Matt assured him. "But I can see all of this has been really good for you."

"The report card..."

"No, it's more than just the report card. This place, these people, it's been great for you. I can't remember the last time I saw you this happy back home." He continued as he carried on. "The reason I talked mom into letting you come here was because I wanted you to grow, to be happy, and although I'm not crazy about the idea of this Sledge guy and everything...I can't believe how much you've grown already."

"So you're going to let me stay?" Riley asked him. Matt just nodded.

"And don't worry, I won't tell mom either." Matt assured him. "I wouldn't want her to have a heart attack."

"Thanks Matt." Riley replied. "I really appreciate it, and I'm sure Ms Morgan and the others will be happy to know I'm staying."

"Yeah, Ms Morgan, she's one of the reasons I'm letting you stay." Matt told him. Riley just looked to him a little curiously. "Like I said, I see how much you've grown, how much everyone's done for you here, and as for Ms Morgan...she's made it pretty clear she's willing to do just about anything to keep you all safe. If I can't take care of you, then I guess she's the kind of person I'd want looking out for you."

"They all are." Riley answered. "I know I'd love it if you could be out here, but around them...I know they'll always be there for me. Tyler and Chase are THE coolest room-mates. Koda is without a doubt one of the most interesting people I've ever known. And Shelby is just really amazing."

"Well, I can't be out here all the time; I have too much to do on the farm." Matt answered. "But thanks to all the new help on the farm, I reckon I could probably make the time to come out here a little more often."

"Really?" Riley asked. "I'd really like that."

"Well, I'll need to check up on you now that I know what you're really doing out here right?" Matt asked him as he went to the barbecue, finding that the coals were now ready to begin cooking. Using some tongs, he laid some burgers and some drumsticks on the grill. He looked around. "Besides, now that I've spent some time out here, it looks like a nice place. Maybe I can take a look around some day when we have some more time."

"Thanks bro." Riley answered. "I'm really sorry I kept all this from you."

"Hey, it's better late than never." Matt assured him, hugging his brother tightly. "Now, how about you look out some drinks, these should be ready soon."

As he left to get some drinks, Matt couldn't help smiling. The monsters and the attacks at aside, this town was good for Riley, and as much as he'd avoided the city for most of his life, he was sure he'd be spending a lot more time there.

Meanwhile, on the island, the other Rangers were enjoying their own camp. They had enjoyed a spirited game of tag, skipped some stones, and had a substantial dinner. Now that it was dark, they were all sitting around the campfire, sharing with Koda a new experience. While it wasn't new to him to have discussions or tell stories around the fire, having done that many times with his tribe, he had never experienced the joy of the campfire ghost stories.

He was gripping his sleeping tightly, hugging it to his chest, he listened to Chase as he relayed his tale, his voice low and eerie to create the scene.

"And as she walked down the hall of the rotting wooden shack, the floorboards creaking under his every step, creak, creak, creak, he approached the wooden door that was barely touched by the moonlight. Her heart pounded and her blood ran cold, chilling her through to the bone as she reached out for the door handle, pulling back as she heard a scream." Chase continued as he drew in closer. He could see Koda was the one paying the most attention to the story, completely transfixed, and frightened at the same time. "She steeled herself as she reached out for the door handle, which grated steel against steel as she turned it, and opened the door, completely unprepared for what was on the other side. As the door opened, it leapt out and ATTACKED!" Koda jumped a couple of feet in the air. Shelby gripped Tyler's arm tightly as they both jumped towards each other. "THE ANGRY SQUIRREL!"

Tyler, Shelby and Chase all started laughing, leaving Koda bewildered for a moment, before he realised what had happened. He understood this was what they called a "burn". He just sulked as he realised this was a joke at his expense.

"Not funny!" He muttered. "Squirrel evil."

"Dude, you once tackled a Sabre Toothed tiger, and you were bested by a freaking SQUIRREL!" Tyler teased him. Koda just humphed, looking more than a little put out. However, he knew that they didn't really mean him any harm. Eventually, he laughed a little too.

"Squirrel cute." He chuckled. "Not want to hurt."

As the laughter subsided, Tyler and Shelby realised the position they were in. Shelby let go of Tyler's arm and moved away slowly.

"Well, um...it's getting late." Shelby stated. "Maybe we should turn in for the night."

"I guess we have a few hours until Anton's pilot comes back." Chase answered as he unfurled Kendall's sleeping bag. "And if I know Kendall like I think I do, she'll be back at work tomorrow."

"Yeah, I can see what she'd say." Shelby chuckled. "If I can come to work with a broken leg, then a night on the beach is no reason to call in sick."

"You've got to hand it to her, she's definitely tough." Tyler answered. "I still can't believe the way she took on those viviks! Did you see that! She kicked some serious ass!"

"Kendall strong. Should be Ranger." Koda put down flatly. The others just nodded. It wasn't like any of them could disagree.

"Well, we know the Aqua Gem is spoken for, but that still leaves four others." Tyler reminded them. "There's still time. Anyway, we should probably get some rest."

Chase and Koda both slipped inside their sleeping bags, beginning to settle down to get comfortable. Shelby took out her sleeping bag, and looked to Tyler.

"So...um..." She started to stammer. Tyler just looked to her, like he was waiting for her to say something. "There's...a comfortable looking spot just over there."

Tyler just looked a little confused, and almost disappointed. She then just smiled.

"Well...goodnight." She answered, making her way over. She just mentally kicked herself as she walked away. It was such a beautiful place, so still, so peaceful. The glow of the fire...if ever there was a moment, that was it, and at the last moment she had chickened out. The only thing she could say was 'There's a comfortable spot just over there?' She mentally kicked herself.

"Good job Shelby." She muttered to herself as she climbed into her sleeping bag. "You suck."

Tyler took out his journal, as he did every night before he went to sleep to document his thoughts. He had a lot to write about, but as he settled against a tree to do some writing, he suddenly found himself unable to think of a single thing to write down. His brain just blanked. He put away journal, resolving to make up for it tomorrow, when he could maybe get his brain to work. With that, he settled down, pulling the sleeping bag tightly around himself, and fell asleep.

The next morning, Kendall got a cab back to the museum. Although she had been told to go home and rest, she knew that Sledge wouldn't be resting. After the shrinking incident, she now made a habit of keeping a couple of changes of clothes at the museum, so she knew that she could go straight there. The Aqua Energem had already been found and bonded to someone, so until they showed up, there wasn't really much they could do about it. Until then, there were still other Energems to find.

She paid the cab driver for the ride, and climbed out of the cab, setting herself up on her crutches, turning towards the museum. To her surprise, the lights were already on. She headed over, moving as quickly as she could, and found that the door was unlocked. Were Anton's team still here? As she got inside though, she found the entrance lobby deserted.

"Anton?" She asked, but she didn't get an answer. She doubted that the pilot would have retrieved the others yet. She made her way towards the cafe, and as she approached, she became aware of some familiar smells. Pancakes, bacon...and most welcome of all, fresh coffee!

She got into the cafe, seeing Matt behind the counter, using the hotplate to make the pancakes, while Riley operated the coffee machine. Riley had just finished making a pot as he turned to his brother.

"I keep telling you, I usually only have..."

"Come on bro, you don't know when the others will be back! You need a decent breakfast." Matt told him. "Besides, when was the last time you had some Griffin family pancakes?"

"Ms Morgan!" Riley called out. "Look, I can explain..."

"Riley, you don't need to worry; I don't mind you taking a few meals." Kendall assured him, heading over to the counter.

"We were going to set up while we waited for the others." Riley told her. "I wasn't expecting you so soon..."

"I checked out an hour ago." Kendall answered. "Hospitals just drive me nuts. They've already put on the cast, there's really not much else they can do I can't do at home."

"Well, you're just in time to join us." Matt answered, beginning to plate up some pancakes. "I made plenty."

"After what they laughingly call toast at the hospital? Yeah, I'm ready for some real food." She answered, setting herself up at counter. "Some coffee would be great too."

"On it." Riley answered as he started to pour.

"Milk and two." Kendall and Matt both said together. They just looked to each other.

"Bacon?" Matt asked as he piled some on two of the plates. Kendall just nodded. Riley took his plate and headed for a booth.

"I swear I'll set up after breakfast." Riley told her. Kendall just waved it off.

"I doubt the masses will mind if we're a few minutes late opening today." She assured him. "Just take your time."

As Riley left, Kendall just looked to Matt.

"I guess we have more in common than just our taste in coffee." Matt stated. Kendall just looked to him. "We both care about Riley."

"He's a really special person, and I don't just mean the Ranger stuff." Kendall told him. "He's one of the brightest people I've met. He's so dedicated and driven...the world could use more people like him."

"It really could." Matt agreed. "That's why I'm happy to let him stay."

"I really appreciate that." Kendall told him. "I know we lied, but we never meant..."

"Listen, I get it. I've seen the news; I know what those things are like." Matt answered as he started his pancakes. Kendall did likewise. "I may be pretty good with a shotgun, but I know I don't want any of those things knocking on the door if I can help it. If keeping Riley's secret can do that, then I guess I'm all for it. Besides, I'm confident I'm leaving him in good hands."

"You...you are?" Kendall asked him. "Even after all of this?"

"Those crutches are all the proof I need you'll do all you can to keep him safe." Chase answered. "Besides, I like to think I have pretty good instincts when it comes to people."

"I'm really glad to hear you say that." Kendall told him. "I promise I'll do everything..."

"I'm sure you will." Matt interrupted her. "And I hope you don't mind, but I might just make the time to come out here a little more often."

"I think I can accommodate that." Kendall told him with a little smile. "You're welcome any time..."

"And you know, this town seems pretty nice." Matt continued. "Maybe next time I can get a look around, see some more of it. The museum's great and all, but I'm sure there are a few other sights. I've heard there's some great eating in town."

"There definitely is." Kendall assured him. She reached into her pocket and got out a business card. "Here, maybe you can call ahead, that way you won't come when Riley's out like this time."

"That's appreciated." Matt told her, taking the card. He looked to it a little curiously. "Ms Morgan...this is a cell phone number."

"Yes...well..." She stammered a little. "I figured, I'm not always at the museum, this way you can be sure you'll get through."

"I'll be sure to call." Matt answered. "Maple syrup?"

"Top shelf, on the left." She told him. "And yes please."

With that, Matt went to get the syrup, leaving Kendall to enjoy her breakfast. She was relieved that Matt was happy to leave Riley at the museum, and that he agreed to keep their secret, the fact he would now be visiting the museum more often was just an added bonus.


	9. The Search Renewed

It was almost noon by the time the other Rangers arrived back at the museum. Anton, true to his word, had sent his pilot back to the island to pick them up after their camping trip, and after an interesting flight, made all the more interesting by the fact that this time they didn't have any medication to keep Koda sedated; they had gotten back to the museum.

As the helicopter touched down, they all disembarked, making sure they brought their belongings with them, before bidding farewell to the pilot, who was only too happy to leave. Shelby was practically bouncing with excitement. This had been her first official dig. She had always dreamed of such adventures, camping out, searching for fossils, going to exotic locations. Even the sound of Koda puking into a nearby trash can didn't spoil the moment for her.

"That was totally AWESOME!" She shrieked as the helicopter departed. "Can you believe what kind of treasures we could find if we had longer there? That island was amazing!"

"You know, I think some things are better left undisturbed." Tyler told her. "You know, like that bigfoot we saw? Maybe it's for the best no one knows where he is."

"Well...yeah, but that's why I like Palaeontology." She answered. "You don't need to worry about the ethics of putting fossils into a zoo, it's not like they suffer or anything."

"Koda hate helicopters." Koda declared as he finished expelling his breakfast into the trash. Chase just chuckled, slapping him on the back.

"You just hate anything you don't get mate." Chase told him. "Do you even leave that cave between shifts? I swear, we need to get you out and about a bit more. You need a hobby mate."

"A hobby?" Koda asked. Before he could enquire further, the others saw Kendall, Riley and Matt coming out of the museum. Matt had packed up his truck, ready for the journey ahead. Kendall steadied herself on her crutches as he tossed his jacket into the back.

"Aw man, are you leaving already?" Tyler asked him.

"We all have responsibilities, mine are back in Burnside." Matt told him. "The farm won't run itself."

"Surely you can stay a little longer." Chase suggested. "I mean, we did kind of hit you with a bombshell..."

"You don't need to worry, I'll be back." Matt assured them, clamping a hand down on Riley's shoulder. "I need to check up on my little bro from time to time don't I?"

"Well, you're welcome to come any time." Kendall told him, grinning brightly. "You can call any time and I'll arrange accommodation...anything."

"I'll keep that in mind." He replied, tipping his hat to her. Kendall tried to hide her face, feeling a warm flush in her face. She was sure she was turning more than a little pink, and couldn't bear to think that the Rangers had noticed. As she looked aside though, she could see Shelby struggling not to laugh and knew she was busted. "Anyway, I should really get going."

"Hey man, maybe next time we can spend a little more time with you, show you around the city and stuff." Chase suggested. "You know, at a time when we're not getting rescued from an island and suchlike."

"I'd definitely like that." Matt answered. He hugged his brother one last time.

"Take care of mom and Rubik." Riley told him.

"You take care of those monsters, and you know I'll take care of them." Matt assured him, before getting into his truck. The Rangers all waved him off as he started on his way, pulling out onto the main road, heading for the freeway.

"Your brother nice." Koda told Riley. "You very lucky."

"I really am." Riley agreed. "Matt's always looked out for me."

"Well I for one am looking forward to getting a huge bowl of chilli fries!" Chase declared. "Who else is hungry?"

Koda put his hand up, at which Chase just chuckled.

"I'll bet you are." He answered as he, Tyler and Riley made their way inside. Shelby came to Kendall's side, with a knowing look on her face. She nudged Kendall gently.

"Shelby, I swear if you're still there when I turn around, you'll never go on another dig again." Kendall told her. Shelby just smirked as she left hurriedly. She recognised a lot of the signs. She was certain that she acted much the same way around Tyler. As she got to the door of the museum, she risked one last look, seeing Kendall still there, staring at the freeway.

"Oh yeah, that girl has it bad." Shelby commented as she made her way inside.

Back on Sledge's ship, Wrench was busy repairing some of Sledge's weapons and armour after his most recent battle. The Corsairs and the Dino Rangers had left him licking his wounds, and Sledge had taken to recuperating in his private chambers while Wrench got his equipment ready for action again. Curio was in the corner, absent-mindedly playing with a few spare parts that Wrench had given him to keep him distracted while Poisandra was away, keeping a vigil over her fiancé. Wrench held up Sledge's face mask, holding it up and turning it on to ensure the repairs and upgrades he'd made to its heads up display were functioning.

"Better than Windows 10!" He declared proudly. "Those Rangers aren't going to know what hit them when Master Sledge gets back on his feet."

His attention was grabbed as Fury came into the lab.

"Fury, what are you doing here?" Fury asked him as Fury started looking around the bench. He picked up one of the devices Wrench was working on and after a cursory inspection, threw it aside. Wrench had to sprint to catch it before it hit the wall and shattered into a thousand pieces.

"Junk, junk, junk!" Fury rhymed off as he threw aside everything he found on the bench, without any kind of care as to how long it had taken Wrench to build it. The mechanic kept running around, catching the devices Fury tossed over his shoulder in a performance that would earn him a spot on the Yankees. He dropped everything as Fury threw another thing over his shoulder.

"No, no, no, NO!" Wrench rushed out as he caught it, cradling the device closely. "Fury, don't you realise what you could have done?"

"All of this is junk!" Fury snorted. "I thought you made useful devices."

"And I thought YOU were working on a plan to destroy the Rangers!" Wrench shot back, carefully setting the device in his hands on a stand after satisfying himself that Fury hadn't inadvertently activated it and made it a danger to them. "What are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for a tracking device." He told Wrench.

"You mean like the one the Rangers have?" Wrench asked him. "Well you won't find one here, I have no idea how they track those stupid Energem signatures. If I did, don't you think I'd be doing it already?"

"You don't need a device to track the Energems." Fury told him. "Not when the Rangers have been kind enough to make one for us."

Wrench paused as he heard this. He could already guess where Fury's thoughts were going. Curio looked up too, from where he was playing with a spring.

"You intend to steal their E-tracer?" He asked. Fury just drew closer.

"That is exactly what I intend." He replied. "I don't need to be able to detect Energems; all I need from you is a way to track the E-tracer."

"Well, I think I could come up with something." Wrench told him. "Give me a couple of hours, and try not to blow up my lab while you're waiting."

As Fury took a seat, watching as Wrench started to get to work on a new invention, he didn't notice as Curio got up and scurried away in search of his mistress.

Back at the museum, Kendall made her way down into the Dino Lab. It was a little complicated, and took her quite a while. She couldn't risk using the slide, and taking the stairs on crutches was something of a chore. She finally got down into the lab though, and made her way to the bench, resting her crutches up against it as she took a seat.

"You should be recovering." Keeper announced as he arrived. Kendall really didn't know where he got to between his little visits, but by now she was becoming used to him dropping in and disappearing again pretty much whenever he damn well liked.

"Sledge isn't going to rest up, and I can't afford to either." Kendall told him, beginning to rummage through some samples on her work bench. "There are four other Energems out there..."

"Well, we're not exactly chopped liver you know." Shelby announced as she arrived in the room. She made her way over to the bench, by the E-tracer. "You know, I did help build this thing. You're not the only one that can work it."

"Shelby, I know but..."

"I want to find the Energems every bit as much as you do." Shelby told her. She reached for the samples on the shelves. "So, which one do we want to go for next?"

Kendall just glared at her.

"Shelby, I broke my leg, not my brain." Kendall reminded her. "I'm going to be sitting on my ass in the office or the lab most of the time for the next six weeks anyway. It's not like I have anything better to do."

"Alright then, which Energem do you want to look for next then?" Shelby asked.

"We've not got much in the way of air support. Maybe we should go for the Pteradon."

"Alright, then all we need is a sample." Shelby told her. Kendall reached for the shelving unit, but it was then that she noticed a problem. Shelby just stood with her hands on her hips, watching as Kendall reached up, trying to fetch down the sample, but finding it just out of her reach. She just groaned as she saw the look on Shelby's face.

"Perhaps there are some things it is worth asking for help with." Keeper suggested. Kendall looked to Shelby, who had a slightly smug look on her face.

"Would you get the sample jar down please?" Kendall asked her. Shelby just took the vial down, and opened it, beginning to work with a sample, scraping out some material from the bone.

"Was that so hard?" Shelby asked her. "You're not the only one who knows how to work in a lab."

"I know, it's just...I'm going to be stuck here for a while anyway." Kendall reiterated. "I figured at least it would give me some time to..."

"Kendall, no one doubts your courage, or how much you do for us." Shelby assured us. "But if one of us got hurt like this, you'd be the first one to insist we rest up and recover."

"Shelby, all of you would heal in a couple of days..."

"Exactly, and like it or not, you don't." Shelby reminded her. "We can handle this."

"I appreciate the offer, but if I go home, I'm just going to be staring at the walls going nuts." Kendall answered. "Besides, two heads are better than one right?"

"I guess that's the best I can expect." Shelby conceded, knowing better than to try and argue with Kendall when her mind was made up. "I'll go set up the E-tracer. You prepare the Gold Dino Charger."

Up in the cafe, Tyler, Riley and Chase were in the cafe, grateful that it was quiet. After the last couple of days, they could do with some time to relax. The schools had recently gone back after the summer vacation, which meant week day business was now a lot lighter. It was a welcome shift given the exhausting schedule they'd kept the last few days.

"Is there any point in ALL of us being here?" Chase asked as he stood, whiling away his shift by spinning and egg on a chopping board. A trick that was sometimes used to determine if an egg was cooked or raw was to place it on its side and spin it, before stopping it with a finger. If the egg was raw, the inside would be liquid and keep spinning, meaning that when the shell was let go, the egg would start spinning again as the momentum of the white acted on the shell. If it was cooked, then the egg would simply stop since it would be solid all the way through. Chase however had no real reason to be doing this. They hadn't had a customer all morning, and so none of the eggs had been cooked.

"Chase, we've only been on shift a couple of hours." Riley reminded him.

"Well, yeah...but there's no one here!" Chase reminded him. "Tourist season is over, the kids are back at school...the only people with nothing to do are the pensioners, and there aren't too many of them around."

"Look, we're all bored, but that doesn't mean we can't use this time productively." Tyler told him. "Why don't you strip and clean the ovens?"

"Done and done mate." Chase sighed. "I've checked the fridges for out-of-date stock, catalogued samples for the health department and..."

"You're not going to let this go are you?" Riley asked him. Chase just shook his head. He drew in closer.

"Besides, have either of you noticed Koda doesn't really go out that much?" Chase asked them. "It can't be good for him to spend all his time in here."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Tyler asked.

"We all keep saying we should be helping him learn to get by in this time period right?" Chase asked. "Well how much is he really learning if he stays in here?"

"He does go out; he goes riding with Jimmy and his friends..."

"Riley, they're ten." Chase reminded him. "I was thinking, maybe if we found something he enjoys doing outside, we can get him to meet people...maybe he'll become a little more comfortable around them. I think we should get him a hobby."

Tyler and Riley just looked at each other, not entirely convinced by this, but they were morbidly curious as to where Chase was going with this.

"So what were you thinking?" Tyler asked. Chase just smiled.

"Well it's been a while since I had a decent round of golf." He suggested. "Anton didn't have a course on the island, and I have been meaning to check out the local green."

"Golf?" Riley asked, raising an eyebrow. "You want to teach Koda to play golf?"

"Believe me, it'll be great. It'll get him out and about, and who knows? Maybe he'll enjoy it." Chase told them as he put the eggs away. "Hey, Koda! Get your jacket, we're heading out!"

As Chase took the confused caveman and left, Riley just looked to Tyler.

"Really?" He asked. Tyler just shrugged.

"Would you rather have Chase happy, or Chase bored?" He asked in response. Riley just conceded the point. Chase very much exemplified the old saying 'The Devil makes work for idle hands'.

Back on Sledge's ship, Poisandra was just leaving her bed chamber when she came across Curio, who was still running frantically around the ship looking for her. As he finally saw her, he ran towards her, tripping in his rush to get to her and face-planting right in front of her.

"Poisandra, Poisandra, I've found you!" He rushed out.

"Curio, I'm not in the mood to play right now." Poisandra told him. "Sledgeums is still moody after..."

"I think I may have a way to cheer him up!" Curio told her. "Fury was just talking to Wrench. He's come up with a plan to beat the Rangers."

"Fury came up with a plan?" Poisandra snorted. "I doubt it's anything to worry about."

"That's just it; it's actually a really good idea!" Curio answered. "He wants to steal the tracking device the Rangers used to find the last Zord."

"Really?" She asked him.

"Think about it, that device found the last Zord despite it being on an island hidden from all other scans!" He reminded her. "If it can find a Zord there, it should be able to find gems and Zords anywhere!"

"That...that is a good idea." Poisandra conceded, beginning to stroke her chin thoughtfully. "If he can pull it off, Fury might actually..."

"That's the thing, who says it has to be Fury?" Curio suggested. "You have Sledge's ear, if you suggest the idea to him first..."

"He might send ME to do it instead of Fury!" She squealed gleefully. "Oh Curio, you wonderful, brilliant creature! I'm going to go and suggest it to Sledgeums right now!"

As she headed back into the bedchamber, Curio just looked rather smug about the whole thing. Fury did have a good idea, but that didn't mean he had to get the credit. He knew that Fury would likely be livid when he realised that Poisandra and Curio had snatched the credit from him, but after he had torn Curio apart in a fit of temper, it would serve him right.

FIN.


End file.
